


the house don't fall (when the bones are good)

by amilliontotwo



Category: The Last Ship (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Danny Is Not Okay, Established Relationship, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Post Season 5, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Relationship Issues, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:06:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28712502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amilliontotwo/pseuds/amilliontotwo
Summary: After Columbia, Danny Green returns home a broken man. It takes almost losing the thing he loves the most for him to try to fix his life.
Relationships: Azima Kandie/Wolf Taylor, Kara Foster/Danny Green
Comments: 33
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After the most unsatisfying series finale that left me with all the feelings since they broke Danny into pieces emotionally and then DIDN'T ADDRESS ANY OF IT, I need a fix-it. I do believe that despite his best intentions to fix his relationship with Kara, Danny was NOT okay post-Columbia so this might have to get a little bit worse before it gets better.  
> I have the worst writing morale ever though, so posting this in chapters in hope that it might motivate me to keep going.  
> Also, this has started to go into inception-like territory with how switch-y the time levels are, I'm sorry.  
> Title stolen from The Bones by Maren Morris.  
> Tags/rating might be added/changed as I go along.  
> Loosely ties in with 'don't give up now'

Danny is tired. Not the regular kind of tired though, it goes far deeper than that. He can feel it in his bones, the way his body moves just that millisecond slower, the slightest edge of a haze in his brain. He used to operate in high-pressure situations for several days on end with no sleep and had never felt this tired. 

He swirls the whiskey in his glass; it’s watered down by now, the ice already melted. The bar is loud around him, the alcohol and noise further dulling his senses, and he startles when a hand comes down on his shoulder. 

He’s whirling around, hands curled into fists, ready to attack, before his brain catches up and he recognizes the man standing in front of him as friend, not enemy. Wolf steps back a bit, hands awkwardly coming up in mock surrender. ‘Easy mate, it’s just me.’ 

Danny blinks at Wolf for a second until his body relaxes and Wolf lowers his hands, a small smile quirking his lips as he nods to the empty bar stool next to him. ‘That seat taken?’ 

Danny takes a moment to take in the other man; he seems smaller somehow, his frame not as bulky, and though he knows Wolf could probably still take him out with only his pinkie finger, he doesn’t look as threatening as he used to. ‘Be my guest.’ 

He pulls the bar stool out a bit more and Wolf winces as he sinks down onto it. 

‘How is your…’ Danny motions vaguely towards Wolf’s upper body, ‘…everything?’ 

It’s been 8 months since Columbia, but he knows Wolf hasn’t shipped out or taken a job since, much like himself. ‘It’s healing, I think. The shoulder’s not getting better though and everything else is just… it’s slow going. I was doing better when that landmine almost took my leg.’ 

Danny remembers the day and despite the outcome, the memory makes him smile; they were both doing much better then. ‘What about you, Green? Anything lined up?’ 

Danny snorts, back to watching the whiskey swirl in his glass. ‘I can’t even get mercenary work. They say I’m ‘too hesitant’, ‘too slow’… whatever that means. They just want someone trigger-happy.’ 

Wolf eyes him for a moment, trying to sense the mood. ‘How’s the family?’ 

Danny tenses beside him, downing his whiskey in one go. ‘Kara kicked me out.’

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When Kara wakes up in the middle of the night, it’s to an empty bed, her hand only meeting cold sheets when she reaches out. She takes a moment to listen for what might have woken her, but the house is quiet and dark. The hardwood floor is cold beneath her feet when she gets out of bed and it sends a shiver up her spine. She checks on Frankie on her way downstairs – he’s sound asleep – and makes her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. 

The house seems to be empty and Kara, well, she knows Danny doesn’t mean to be insensitive, but it still irks her when he disappears without a word in the middle of the night. It’s then that the key turns in the front door and Danny steps inside, fiddling with his headphones, breathing heavy. 

He startles when he looks up and finds himself face to face with Kara. ‘Hey, what are you doing up?’ 

‘I woke up, you weren’t there.’ 

He was obviously out running – at 2 am – and Kara is not sure what to make of it. 

‘Couldn’t sleep.’ He doesn’t look at her when he speaks, he never really does anymore. 

‘Are you coming back to bed?’ Kara reaches out a hand to him and Danny takes it for a moment, giving a small squeeze before releasing it. 

‘I’ll be up soon.’ They both know it’s a lie, that Danny will be up at least another hour working out, push-ups, pull-ups, whatever he can think of, until he’s too exhausted to do anything other than crash on the couch and succumb to sleep. If she’s lucky, she’ll find him there in the morning and wake him by making noise in the kitchen; if she’s not, it’ll be Frankie excitedly trying to rouse his dad until Danny would startle awake with that wild look in his eyes, body tight, hands shaking and Frankie backing up with fear in his eyes. 

‘Don’t be too long.’ 

Danny forces a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes as he steps closer and presses a kiss to her forehead. 

‘Promise. I love you.’ 

Kara sighs as she pulls back. 

‘Love you, too.’ 

The words are empty, they’ve been for a while.

***

It’s a couple of weeks later, after a similar night, that Kara finally breaks. Frankie has just finished his breakfast and Danny has been sitting at the table with them, sipping on his coffee, looking like a zombie with circles under his eyes so dark that Kara would feel bad for her husband if she didn’t know the cause. 

Once Frankie’s run off to go play in his room, Kara settles next to Danny at the table, her hand moving to cover his. He flinches, and she knows it’s not because of _her_ , he didn’t flinch away from her, she _knows_ , but it’s just another sign for her that she’s about to do the right thing. 

‘I need to talk to you, Danny.’ 

Danny seems to become slightly more alert at her words, the fog in his eyes clearing some. 

‘Yeah, sure.’ He takes a sip of his coffee, so strong Kara would be jumping out of her skin after one cup, but it barely seems to affect him anymore. 

‘We can’t keep going like this.’ 

Danny blinks at her. ‘I… what are you saying, Kara?’ 

She takes a deep breath. She’s been thinking about what to say for about a week now, ever since Danny had almost knocked out their son when Frankie jumped on his father’s back from behind and startled the living daylights out of him. Frankie has been subdued and skittish around Danny for days and it breaks her heart a little more every time Frankie hesitates to approach his dad. 

‘I need you to leave. This isn’t working for us right now.’

It’s direct and still Danny just blanks. ‘Kara…’ 

She squeezes his hand and it’s enough to finally make him meet her eyes. 

‘Frankie’s afraid to get close to you. You’re never here. You’re here but you’re not. You’re checked out most of the time. You’re up all night, you don’t get any sleep. Danny, you need help. And I can’t give you that.’ 

Danny instinctively straightens in his chair, pulling his hand from hers. 

‘I know I’ve had some trouble adjusting, Kara, but I’m fine. I’ll get better, I promise.’ 

Kara stands, puts some distance between them, leans back against the kitchen counter. 

‘You’re not fine. And the fact that you think you are… Danny, this is not working. It’s been 5 months since Columbia…’ 

Danny draws in a harsh breath at the mention. 

‘… and you’re not getting better. You need professional help. Whatever happened, if it was Carlton or the battle or something else, you need to work through that. I can’t keep doing this with you.’ 

Danny pushes to his feet abruptly, the chair tipping over behind him and Kara flinches – it’s instinct, she’s not afraid of Danny, not even like this. 

He leans on the table, his back heaving with the deep breath he takes. His voice is calm and his eyes are empty when he finally looks back up at her. ‘If that is what you want, I’ll go.’ 

Kara takes a moment, looks Danny in the eyes, searching for the man she fell in love with and only finding the empty shell. ‘It’s what I want.’

Danny is gone by the time she gets back from work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance. I have no idea about Navy training excersises or housing, I'm also too lazy for extensive research so if any of this is inaccurate (as hell, which it probably is), I'm sorry.  
> This whole thing is also starting to get away from me but I did manage to fix the inception-level time leaps?

‘I’m sorry, Danny. That’s rough.’ 

Wolf is sympathetic and Danny knows he’s being a good friend but that he probably also gets Kara’s side of this. They all came back from Columbia with their own cross to bear.  
Wolf’s was recuperating from the many serious injuries he suffered in the battle. Danny’s was facing his demons of the night before the battle. 

‘Yeah well, I probably deserved it.’

Wolf doesn’t comment and instead just signals the bartender for a refill.

‘Do you need a place to stay, Danny?’

Danny huffs a laugh. ‘I moved back on base for now.’

The look Wolf gives him in incredulous. ‘Lt. Green? Living in the barracks with the other foot soldiers?’

‘Yeah, don’t even get me started. It’s an adjustment.’

They settle into comfortable silence until their drinks arrive. ‘What are your plans, Taylor? Anything other than rehabbing?’ 

Wolf turns to look at him. ‘I wish. Look at me, Danny, there’s no way I’m getting back into fighting shape anytime soon. Azima keeps telling me it’ll be fine, but I can feel it in my body, you know?’  
And yeah, Danny gets it. He might not be as physically affected as Wolf, but he gets it. 

‘I’ve been working on base as an instructor. I thought it would help, but it keeps bringing shit back up. Hey, maybe you should talk to Slattery, we could always use more hands in training.’

+++

Danny is ridiculously nervous when he brings his hand up to knock on the door in front of him.

‘Enter,’ a familiar voice sounds from the other side of the door and Danny opens the door, smoothing his uniform one last time. 

‘Admiral Slattery.’ He salutes to the man grinning up at him from behind an oversized desk. ‘At ease, Lieutenant.’ 

Danny relaxes his stance and takes a seat when Slattery gestures to the open chair. 

‘So what can I do you for, Green?’ 

‘I just moved back on base, and I- I guess I was just wondering if you have anything for me to do? I’m not looking to leave on any missions or anything…’

Slattery nods and shuffles some papers on his desk around; it still seems foreign to Danny to see his former XO behind a desk, pushing papers and taking meetings. ‘I have to reach out to Carter but I’m certain he won’t say no to getting your help in training the new MWU. Who better to learn from than one of the best we ever had?’ 

Danny straightens in the chair. ‘Thanks Sir. It would be much appreciated.’ 

++

‘Diaz, you take point. You will force entry from the east. Keep in mind you will be going in dark. The objective is to incapacitate all hostiles but be aware that there are civilians inside. Porter, Milbury, on Diaz. I will bring up the back.’ 

As if he would need to. Danny knows the training ground like the back of his hand; he did his own training right here. He knows there will be hostiles in each room, first back left, then front right, back left and right and finally center in the last room. He has shot all the metal hostiles before, in the head, in the heart, with the most satisfying ‘klang’ of rubber bullet on metal, even under the strobing lights that would render their NVGs useless. 

They clear room after room and Danny feels almost back to normal with the adrenaline rushing.

They make good progress through all the rooms, taking out hostiles in good time. There’s only one room left, 3 hostiles in the center of the room and two civilians, a mother with little boy a little off to the right.

Diaz enters first, taking out the first hostile with a ‘klang’, Porter follows and does the same with the second. Milbury is right in front of Danny and he can feel it more than see it when Milbury veers a little too far to the right and for a moment, everything goes black.

_He’s cold and wet and moving too fast, a rush of panic in his blood – ‘No!'_

Danny blinks when the overhead lights come on. He’s on the floor and his chest hurts and the three recruits are just hovering uneasily in front of him, Milbury white as a ghost, weapon still at the ready.  
Lt. Commander Carter’s heavy boot steps on the concrete floor help Danny’s world to come into focus again. ‘Lt. Green, are you okay?’ 

Danny nods but winces when he sits up, a dull ache radiating in his chest. 

‘Milbury.’ 

Milbury doesn’t react at Carter’s address, he’s still rooted to the spot, death grip on his weapon, eyes never leaving Danny. 

‘Ensign Milbury! Lower your weapon. Unless you’re planning on shooting your training officer again.’ 

Milbury finally reacts and lowers his weapon. ‘Sir, I- he jumped in front of the shot, I didn’t-‘ 

Carter shoots him a look and Milbury falls silent. 

‘You three, dismissed. Milbury, I’d like to see you in my office later.’ 

Once the three soldiers have left, Carter reaches a hand out to Danny who still hasn’t gotten up. 

‘What the hell happened, Green? You were on course for a new time record.’ 

Danny pulls himself up with Carter’s help, wincing as it sends another shock of pain through his upper body. ‘Wish I knew, Sir. Milbury went out of formation and- the rest is a bit of a blur.’ 

Carter studies him for a moment. ‘Alright, take the day, ice that bruise and we’ll see you back here with the team tomorrow.’ 

Danny releases a breath before bending down to pick up his weapon. ‘Bright and early, Sir.’ 

Carter looks at him for another long moment and if Danny wasn’t used to this kind of scrutiny, he would have started getting nervous. Carter narrows his eyes at him for a last second before finally turning away. 

‘Dismissed, Lieutenant.’

++

He gets summoned to the principal’s offer later that day. Or so it feels like. Danny can’t quite read the expression on Slattery’s face when he enters the office so he opts for a formal salute just in case.

‘At ease, Green. Have a seat.’

Danny sits, back straight, face carefully guarded.

‘I heard about your training session today.’

It’s supposed to prompt some kind of reaction from him, Danny knows, but he can’t bring himself to say anything.

‘Look, Green, I’m not one to pry into anything, you know that. I haven’t asked about the move back on base or your sudden need to get involved in anything remotely combat-related again but I think we can both agree something’s not right.’

‘Sir-,’ Danny starts but Slattery holds up his hand, indicating he wasn’t finished.

‘Columbia was hard on all of us, some more so than others.’ Slattery holds out a business card to Danny. ‘I do believe it would be helpful for you and your journey forward to talk about some of the things that happened to you.’

Danny accepts the card wordlessly. Dr. Alison Walker, it reads, Psychologist. ‘Admiral, with all due respect-‘

‘There’s usually not much respect following those words, Green. Think about it, it might do you some good.’

Danny looks at the card again and back up at Slattery and back down at the card.

‘Dismissed, Lieutenant.’

Slattery’s dismissal prevents him from starting another sentence he won’t get to finish. He turns the card over in his hand again before getting up and pocketing it. On his way back to the barracks, he fishes out his phone and calls Kara. She doesn’t pick up.


	3. Chapter 3

He’s flat on his back with an ice-pack on his chest when there’s a knock on his open door. He sits up, the ice-pack falling into his lap. He’s pretty sure he’s about to take a message for one of his roommates again but to his surprise it’s Diaz. ‘Lt. Green.’ 

Diaz disappears out of his line of sight again for a moment, only to reappear shortly after. 

‘I brought someone to see you. LCDR Carter though it might be a good idea.’

It’s only then Danny realizes Diaz is holding a leash and Danny can’t help a genuine smile when Diaz tugs on it and the German Shepherd trots into his room. He chucks the ice-pack onto his bed and rises to his feet. ‘Halsey, come here boy.’ 

The dog doesn’t move from Diaz’s side though. 

‘He’s retired now, LCDR Carter has taken him in.’ 

Danny crouches down, holds his hand out. ‘Come on, buddy.’ 

Halsey goes low as well, ears back, teeth bared, growling lowly. 

Danny takes a step forward, hand still outstretched. Halsey backs away with a bark, and it’s not like Danny doesn’t know the behavior – danger from a hostile – but Danny doesn’t immediately understand why. 

Diaz tightens his hold on the dog’s leash. ‘I’m sorry, Lieutenant, I don’t know why-‘ 

‘It’s okay, Diaz, just take him back.’ 

Halsey seems to settle down some the more distance he gets from Danny. 

Diaz shoots him another apologetic look before disappearing into the hall again. 

Danny collapses back onto his bed, right onto the ice-pack, and he fishes it out and puts it back onto the blossoming bruise in the middle of his chest. The card Slattery gave him is burning against his skin through the fabric of his uniform pants. He takes it out, turns it over, crumples it up, throws it across the room.

He’s up half the night.

At the crack of dawn, he locates the card, tries to smooth it out and puts it back in his pocket.

+++

‘You get yourself shot with a rubber bullet on a training exercise?’ Wolf is full-out laughing at him by now. Danny flips him the finger but can’t hide a smile himself.

‘I deserved it, I totally spaced.’ 

‘Have you seen Kara and Frankie since-‘

Danny shakes his head and doesn’t look at Wolf when he answers, ‘I’ve been seeing someone, though.’ 

Wolf almost chokes on the gulp of beer he just took. ‘Like, a woman?’ 

It takes Danny a moment to get what Wolf is asking and he has to laugh a bit. ‘Yes, but not like that. I’ve been seeing a therapist.’

+++

Danny fidgets on the couch, shifting back and forth, studiously avoiding looking at the person sitting across from him. ‘Lieutenant Green…’ 

‘Danny’s fine,’ he interrupts, eyes sharply coming up to look at the woman studying him intently. 

‘Okay. Danny. Why are you here today?’ 

She’s scribbling on a notepad and Danny’s itching to know what she’s writing but he can’t see. 

‘Everyone seems to thinks I need help.’ 

More scribbling. ‘Do you think that you need help?’ 

‘I…,’ he starts, but doesn’t finish. There’s silence for a moment until Danny forces a breath out. ‘I have trouble sleeping.’ 

‘What happens when you try to sleep?’ 

Danny scratches his forearm absent-mindedly, eyes fixing on the painting of flowers hanging on the far wall. ‘I can’t stop thinking. So I get back up. I work out till I’m exhausted.’ 

The doctor takes more notes. ‘Any particular thoughts?’ 

Danny is silent for a while, the doctor scribbling away on her pad. Instead of answering, he abruptly pushes to his feet. ‘I can’t do this.’

The doctor finally puts the notepad down as Danny is about to walk out. ‘Danny. Lieutenant Green.’ 

Being addressed by his rank makes him stop in his tracks for a second but it’s not enough to stop him from walking out.

+++

Danny shows up for his next appointment. He doesn’t speak for the whole session.

+++

It’s on his third appointment with Dr. Walker that she breaks the silence halfway through.

‘I requested your files,’ she says matter-of-factly, reaching behind her for a stack of folders on her desk. 

Danny straightens where he’s sitting on the couch, unease settling in his stomach, yet still he doesn’t say anything. 

‘They are heavily redacted but from what little I can read, I’d say you’ve been in the thick of it in the last years.’ 

And yeah, if that isn’t the understatement of the century. ‘It’s my job, ma’am.’ 

She looks up at him, a tiny glimmer of surprise in her eyes at his response. 

‘When was the last time you have been home for more than a week or two?’ 

Danny has to actually think about it. Before the Red Flu, he used to ship out regularly on random assignments. The apartment he used to share with four fellow soldiers was never at full capacity, one of them was always gone. ‘Not since way before the pandemic.’ 

‘And when did you start to have trouble sleeping?’ 

Danny can’t even remember. Even before the nightmares, he never really _slept_ -slept, always one ear and one eye open in case of danger, always ready to fight. 

‘I…’ He distractedly runs a hand through his hair. ‘After the Red Rust, before Columbia, I guess? But it got really bad after Colu..’ 

He stops himself, afraid he’s revealed too much, but the doc has already caught on, making notes on her pad and in his files. 

‘Look, can’t you just give me something to help me sleep?’ 

She looks at him with a compassionate smile. 

‘I could. But it won’t fix the problem. It would be like… a band aid on a gunshot wound. What you need to figure out, Danny, is what you want from this. What is your goal? What do you intend to achieve by coming here?’ 

Danny doesn’t even hesitate. ‘I want my family back. I want my son not to be afraid of me.’ 

She smiles at him and the knot in Danny’s stomach slowly starts to loosen. 

‘Then that’s what we’ll work towards.’

+++

He tries calling Kara. He only gets the mailbox and doesn’t leave a message.

+++

Wolf sets his beer bottle back on the bar. ‘Is it helping? Talking about it?’ 

The bartender comes by to offer a refill but Danny declines and slides over a 20 instead. ‘It’s- I don’t know, it’s a lot. Going through it all again. And again. I know what I’m doing it for but it’s still hard. Progress is slow.’ 

Wolf nods. He has seen his fair share of horror over the years, even before the Red Flu, and he gets it. ‘The only way out is through, right?’ 

Danny intends to smile but it turns into more of a grimace. ‘Yeah, I guess. What about you, though? How is Kandie doing?’ Anything to distract from the topic of therapy.

Wolf grins. ‘She’s stuck around. It’s her personal mission to get me back into fighting shape. It’s a losing battle but if it means she’ll stay… ah, speak of the devil.’ 

Despite the warning, Danny still startles when a hand comes down on his shoulder. ‘You look like hell, Green.’

‘Well, we can’t all have you as a personal drill sergeant to make us feel good.’

Azima raises an eyebrow at Danny before turning to Wolf. ‘Is that what you’ve been telling people?’

Wolf pulls her close to him instead of responding and it looks like she’s about to protest but she just melts against his side in a surprising show of affection, her hand coming up to comb through Wolf’s unruly hair. 

‘Are you ready to go, big guy?’

Wolf presses a kiss to Azima’s temple.

‘I’ll be out in a minute.’

They seem comfortable and happy and Danny’s heart aches at the sight. He gets off his barstool. ‘Go, get out of here, enjoy the rest of your evening.’

Azima unexpectedly moves in to hug him. ‘Take care of yourself, Green. It’s not good for Taylor’s ego to be the prettiest of the bunch because you let yourself go.’

Danny can’t help a laugh. ‘You got it, Kandie.’ 

She lets him go just in time for Wolf to take her place. 

‘We both know I’m prettier than you.’ Wolf releases him, holds him by his shoulders. ‘You need anything, you call me, okay?’ 

Danny puts on his best straight face. ‘Yes, Sir.’ 

Wolf takes Azima’s hand and lets her lead the way. He’s a few feet away when Wolf turns back to him. 

‘And call your wife, Danny.’

+++

He calls Kara on his way home. He gets her voicemail and leaves a message telling her he misses her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will unfortunately be saying goodbye to Wolf for now. I had this all planned out so neatly in my head but then this whole story got away from me and this concept was no longer working? Anywayyyysss, there's more in the works, I've been pacing myself to 1k words/day and so far it has worked out fine. We'll see if I can keep this up. Planning to keep updating every 3-4 days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning: There will be discussion of canon-typical violence and trauma and possibly very inadequately portrayed therapy in this and I apologize in advance. I did try to do some research on PTSD talk therapy but again, just writing is enough to fill out my complete day with work and life also being tremendous time sucks so bear me with.

He has been seeing Dr. Walker for a few weeks when they reach the point Danny had been so keen to avoid.

‘Now Danny, we’ve covered a lot over the last few weeks and I’ve taken the liberty to match your accounts to the reports in your files.’

Danny shifts in his seat; he can feel what’s coming. He had been honest about the all the shit he had seen over the years, trying to go as chronologically as possible and he knows which part he left out and he also knows that talking about all the other things hadn’t really helped all that much. He still wasn’t sleeping well and he was still jumping out of his skin at the smallest things.

‘There’s one report,’ she shuffles through a folder and finally extracts two pages, ‘this one right here.’ 

She holds up the pages to him and they are mostly big black squares with a few words here and there still unredacted. ‘It’s the last one before the day of invasion report. But I guess you already know that.’

Danny doesn’t look at her, but he nods. He knows exactly which report that is.

‘Look Danny, I’m not pushing you, if you are not ready to talk about this, we don’t have to. But I have to tell you, in my professional opinion, that this is probably what you have come to talk to me about all along.’ 

It is, but Danny doesn’t say another word for the remainder of their session.

+++

Danny can’t sleep that night.

He’s been on a run for 2 hours already and his legs are burning and his knee is protesting but he doesn’t stop. His head is still buzzing and it’s only when he can’t catch his breath anymore that he stops in his tracks. 

He’s home – well he’s in front of Kara’s house. 

The house is dark, of course it is, it’s the middle of the night. Still a part of him is itching to wake Kara, see Kara. She hadn’t answered any of his calls so far, complete EMCON, and he understood why, but it didn’t do anything to soothe the ache not seeing his family had left in him. 

He blames it on his sleep-deprived mind and poor impulse control when he takes the final steps to the front door and rings the doorbell. 

It takes a minute for the light to come on upstairs and another while until footsteps sound from the other side of the door. When Kara opens the door, it’s both so good and so bad. 

So good, because Kara looks adorable, all sleepy, in an old NAVY shirt that used to be his and is about 3 sizes too big on her and he missed her.

So bad, because Kara seems pissed, it’s the middle of the night and he obviously still hasn’t fixed his problem.

‘Danny. It’s 2.30.’

‘I know, Kara. I’m sorry, I was just- I didn’t even realize where I was going until I ended up here. I miss you. You haven’t answered any of my calls. Its been 2 months.’

Kara looks like she’s about to say something but she just draws in a deep breath instead. Danny knows it’s in an effort not to say the thing she really wants to say right now. They both stay silent for another beat until Kara eventually speaks up, in her best no-nonsense voice.

‘You can’t just show up here in the middle of the night, Danny. I need you to respect that we can’t be with you like this. Look at you. You’re exhausted, you can barely stand, you haven’t slept. Danny, I’m not doing this to hurt you, I just want you to want to get better.’

‘I do, I’m-‘  
He wants to tell her he’s working on it, he really does, but he can already see he’s fighting a losing battle. Showing up in the same state he left in didn’t really scream progress and working on the problem.

‘Go home, Danny. Call me when you’re better.’

She closes the door in his face. It’s a long walk home. He calls Dr. Walker the next morning.

+++

They move up his next session on Danny’s request. He’s nervous, knees bouncing restlessly, as Dr. Walker settles into her chair opposite him.

‘What happened, Danny?’ 

Danny stills for a moment, making eye contact with Dr. Walker for possibly the first time. ‘I went to see Kara. It didn’t go well. I- I didn’t mean to go there, I just- I couldn’t sleep and I went for a run and I ended up in front of our house- I need to get better, Doc. I need my family back.’

She gives him a sympathetic smile as she scribbles down some notes.

‘Danny, you’ve been coming here for a couple weeks now, yes? Has it made you feel better to talk about the missions and deployments you have told me about so far?’

Danny shakes his head no. 

‘I still can’t sleep and when I do- the nightmares-‘

‘Nightmares about what?’ Dr. Walker rarely asks him questions so direct, it’s mostly just gentle suggestions and nudges and it’s infuriating, but he still wasn’t prepared for this.  
He hesitates for a moment, draws in a shaky breath.

‘The night before the invasion.’

+++

He’s in the water with Burk, marking obstructions with the IR pucks to smooth their way the next morning. It’s dark and cold and wet but it affords them enough cover that they don’t have to be too careful. 

He’s in the middle of untangling one of the last pucks when he hears the engine noise, a vessel approaching his and Burk’s position. 

‘Shit,’ he curses under his breath before radioing in ‘Cobra Team, we have a contact.’ 

They both dive to avoid detection, approaching the vessel underwater. Someone dives off the vessel but they remain undetected and keep approaching once the diver has returned to the surface.  
He and Burk surface together close to the vessel, two man speaking in rapid Spanish. Someone shouts for a weapon into the other direction and Danny takes the chance to overwhelm the diver still standing close to the vessel’s edge and pull him back into the water, incapacitating him. Burk follows his example when the second voice comes closer again. 

Danny boards the vessel from the back, while Burk is approaching from the side. The third soldier on board comes rushing out with a weapon and yells something in Spanish and Danny’s on his feet already, raising his hand, his own weapon against his chest in apparent surrender, providing enough of a distraction for Burk to come in from the side and take out the third man.

‘You take the forepeak, I’ll clear below aft,’ Danny commands. 

There’s nothing for him to clear though, so he returns to assist Burk.

+++

‘We can take a break whenever you want to.’ Dr. Walker’s voice is gentle now, soft, but it does nothing to soothe Danny’s frayed nerves. His voice is shaking, his knee is bouncing out of control, his knuckles white from the death grip he has on the edge of the couch.

‘I- When I got back-‘ Danny stops when his voice breaks and he sucks in a deep breath. ‘Burk- he was shot, a harpoon, and I- I acted on instinct and fired on the hostile. Blindly. I just- I pulled the tr-trigger and-‘

Danny’s voice is hitching with each breath, his vision blurred from the tears in his eyes.

‘-I went to ch-check the rest of the forepeak and the ho-hostile- it was just-‘

Danny presses the heels of his hands to his eyes. _Black hair, dark eyes, grey shirt, bright red blood stain, just a tiny body._

The image is permanently etched into his brain and it still feels impossible to put it into words.

‘Danny, if you need to-‘

There’s a sudden surge of anger in his blood at the compassion in Dr. Walker’s voice and he’s up on his feet before he knows it, pacing restlessly.

‘No, I don’t need to. It was a boy, okay?! A little boy and I killed him, shot him in the chest without thinking twice about it! Is that what you wanted to hear?’

Dr. Walker just remains calmly in her seat. ‘Danny, you do understand that this is not your fault, yes?’

Danny stops in his tracks for a moment, the laugh that suddenly bubbles up in him bordering on hysterical. ‘How is it not my fault? I shot him! In the chest! Twice!’

‘You were in fear for your life. In fear for your fellow soldier’s life.’ 

‘I _always_ am, Doc! That’s the job! We put ourselves out there, risking our lives for the ‘greater good’!’

‘Then what do you think happened that night, Danny?’

Danny throws his hands up in exasperation. 

‘I don’t know! We had to handle it ourselves so the rest of the team wouldn’t compromise their position. There was two of us and four of them. Burk went down and I-‘

Danny sinks back onto the couch, all the energy draining out of him. ‘I panicked.’

Dr. Walkers takes some notes before leaning forward.

‘Why?’

‘Burk, I couldn’t- I couldn’t lose anyone else. I couldn’t risk the mission, the team, everyone on ship. I didn’t think. I just eliminated the threat. Except it wasn’t one.’

‘But you didn’t know that at the time. You acted on the intel you had. Which is what you are trained to do in these high-pressure situations, yes?’

‘Yes.’ It’s barely a whisper but it’s all Danny can manage. He’s suddenly exhausted, physically, mentally.

They sit in silence for a while until Dr. Walker closes her notebook, sets it aside.

‘You did great today, Danny. I know this was hard. Do you think you're okay to get home?’

He nods.

‘Good. Get some rest. We’ll follow up day after tomorrow.’

+

Danny sleeps through the night for the first time in months. 

+

Danny wakes up the next morning even more tired than before. It doesn’t make sense, he hasn’t slept a whole night for so long, he really shouldn’t be feeling like this. He makes it through the day on caffeine and snide remarks to anyone he meets. He gets a solid two hours the next night before he startles awake with a ‘No!’ in a cold sweat.

+

‘It didn’t help, Doc.’ 

Danny’s voice is strained and he’s almost vibrating in his seat.

‘Please elaborate.’

‘After- last time, I slept. The whole night. No nightmares. But it didn’t help. I was still tired as hell and- the nightmares.’

‘They came back.’

‘Yes!’

Dr. Walker sets her notepad aside, leaning forward. ‘Danny, look at me.’ 

It takes a moment, but he finally does. 

‘You had a breakthrough last time, but you’re not done. Therapy isn’t magic, we need to keep working for you to get better on a long-term basis.’

Danny rubs his temples with a frustrated sigh. ‘I miss my family, Doc. I need to get back to my family.’

‘I know you do, Danny. But let me ask you something: Do you think that you are well enough right now to be the father and husband your family needs you to be?’

Danny groans in frustration. He’s not a patient man, he knows that, and he’s sure Dr. Walker also knows that by now. 

‘Are you?,’ she prompts again and Danny sinks back into the couch. 

‘No.’

‘Look Danny, I’m going to suggest something here – you’re not going to like it, but please consider it. We have a month of appointments left and I think it would be beneficial to you to focus on your progress for now. I know you’re anxious to get back to your family but in my opinion, it is in your and their best interest if you continue your work here and keep getting better before attempting to fix your family life.’

Danny’s ready to protest. Except he can vividly remember the disapproval and disappointment on Kara’s face when he showed up exhausted at her door in the middle of the night. He doesn’t want to wait but also doesn’t want a repeat of last time. He’s so frustrated, with himself, the situation, everything and he can feel the tears stinging in his eyes. He angrily wipes at his eyes and finally straightens on the couch. 

‘Okay.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really trying to get the this thing done but maaaaan, it is getting hard. I have started rewatching season 1 for inspiration (like, maybe seeing more Danny will make me write more Danny), so we'll see how that goes. Cheerleading is appreciated. Hit me on up twitter @amill22writes


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next few weeks, he follows Dr. Walker’s instructions to a T. He journals, he talks, he tries his best to be honest about his feelings. He relives that night more times than he can count. His sleep improves some, but it’s not enough to make him feel less tired. Dr. Walker finally caves and writes him a prescription for a mild sleeping aid – only for short-term use, she cautions – and it doesn’t help him sleep longer but he feels more rested with the sleep he actually gets.

He wouldn’t go as far as saying he’s back to normal but the haze in his brain has cleared some. It’s easier to focus on everyday things, easier to enjoy little things. It also makes living in the barracks increasingly annoying, the bustle and noise of the people around him no longer as pleasantly dulled as before.

He’s on his last week of appointments when Dr. Walker point-blank asks him ‘How would feel about giving Kara a call?’  
He’s been fiddling with his phone the whole time they have been talking but he still didn’t expect this. He stops in his tracks, the phone almost falling to the floor.

‘Are you serious? Don’t mess with me, Doc.’

She smiles at him and while Danny is excited, anxiety is creeping in.

‘Now Danny, I don’t want you getting your hopes up. You know there’s a chance she might not answer or might not want to see you, and I need you to be prepared for that. Kara has also experienced your trauma with you and she might not be ready to deal with that again yet.’

Danny nods, but he’s only half-listening, the idea of possibly hearing Kara’s voice again in just a few minutes making his whole body thrum with excitement.

‘Do you think you’re ready?’

‘Yes.’ 

Kara’s still #1 on his speed dial so he only needs to press one button to get the phone to dial. He puts it on speaker and the dial tone seems unnaturally loud. It rings once, twice. By five, Danny’s confidence is shaken. He knows it’s only six till voicemail and he’s about ready to end the call and his misery when – ‘Danny?’ 

It’s tinny and disembodied but Danny still feels it in every inch of his body. He doesn’t even realize he hasn’t said anything until Dr. Walker raises an eyebrow at him and nods to the phone he holds in his hand. ‘I- hey. It’s so good to hear your voice.’ 

There’s only silence in response. ‘Kara, is there any chance you would agree to meeting me?’ 

The silence stretches on and Danny’s not sure what to do. He looks to Dr. Walker for help but she doesn’t look up from her notepad long enough to notice. 

‘Yes.’ It’s just one word but Danny’s about ready to fist-pump and start on a victory lap and Dr. Walker actually smiles at his enthusiasm. 

‘Can you meet me at the park tomorrow at 1500?’

Danny’s smile grows impossibly wider. 

‘Yes, I’ll be there.’

There’s another moment of silence and he can hear Kara take a deep breath at the other end of the line.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Danny.’

The call disconnects before he can say his goodbye, but he doesn’t even care. He grins at Dr. Walker and it seems to be infectious, her lips spreading into a wide smile as well.

‘I’m happy for you, Danny. Now about tomorrow….’

+++

Danny is early. Half an hour early, and it’s doing nothing to calm his nerves. It’s ridiculous how nervous he feels to see his family but here he is anyway, practically vibrating out of his seat on the park bench. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes against the warm sun, forcing himself to relax. Dr. Walker had explicitly cautioned him to manage his expectations but it’s hard to do when seeing Kara and Frankie again is the only thing that has kept him going the last months.

He waits another 20 minutes, keeping himself busy with his phone, and his heart rate sky-rockets when Frankie zooms by the bench, laughing freely, followed by another boy. Frankie doesn’t see him but that’s okay and he mentally prepares himself for Kara’s arrival.

‘Hey.’ 

Still, Kara’s voice is unexpectedly close but he manages not to flinch, turning back a bit to take in the sight of her. 

‘Hey.’ 

Now that he actually sees her, all the words he had so carefully prepared seem to have vanished from his brain.

Kara sits down on the bench beside him, close, but not as close as she would normally sit to him before. 

‘He looks happy.’ 

Danny looks on as his son is chasing after his friend in the playground with a squeal. 

‘He’s better,’ she agrees, her eyes lingering on Danny for a moment. 

‘Thanks for letting me see him. And you.’ 

Kara reaches out to him, her hand settling on his. ‘You know I want you to be a part of our life. Just because we don’t live together doesn’t mean we can’t still be a family. But I also want you to get better, I want Frankie to not have to be afraid.’ 

They settle into comfortable silence, both watching their son play. It’s relaxing in a way few things have been over the last months and Danny allows himself to let his eyes drift shut again for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. 

‘How have you been doing, Danny?’ 

He blinks, the colors slowly returning.

‘I’ve moved back on base.’ The complete lack of reaction from Kara is not surprising. ‘But I guess you know that.’ Chances are, Grace from housing had called Kara before his request was even approved.

‘Yeah, I heard. How are the barracks treating you?’ 

Danny grimaces. ‘It’s different. Lots of people around. But I- I miss you, Kar. And Frankie.’

Kara doesn’t react, her face carefully guarded. Silence stretches between them until Danny breaks it again.

‘I’ve been seeing a therapist.’ 

Kara’s look is one of pure surprise. ‘That’s… wow, that’s great Danny. I’m glad you decided to get help.’ 

Danny huffs a laugh. ‘It’s been… difficult, but I’m working on it. I need you to know, I’m trying to be better. For you, for Frankie. I’m sleeping better and it’s not so bad anymore with the hypervigilance.’

Kara gives a small smile. ‘Yeah, I noticed. You didn’t jump out of your skin when we approached.’

He knows she doesn’t it mean it that way, but he immediately feels guilty.

‘I’m so sorry for making your life miserable, Kara, you don’t know how much. I should have addressed the problem sooner, not taken it out on you and Frankie. You deserved better. You deserved better from me.’ He can’t bring himself to look at her. Beside him, Kara draws in a deep breath. 

‘It wasn’t all on you, Danny. I knew you were hurting. I could have said something earlier.’

He shakes his head, and he wants to reach for her hand but stops himself, his fingers flexing on the edge of the bench. ‘None of this is your fault, Kara, I swear, don’t you dare blame yourself for any of this.’

Kara nods, bites her lip, and Danny can tell that despite his words, she still feels guilty.

‘Listen Kar, she- Dr. Walker, my therapist, she would like you to come in some time, talk to both of us, I mean, only if you’re up for it, you don’t have to if-‘ 

A squeeze to his thigh ends his ramble and Kara is actually smiling up at him. 

‘If you want me to, of course I’ll come Danny. Anything to help.’

+++ 

Kara seems frighteningly comfortable on Dr. Walker’s couch. She’s beside him, not close enough to touch but not at the other end either and it’s progress in his book. It still stresses him though, how at ease Kara is when his anxiety is rocketing higher than it has been for weeks. 

‘So Danny…,’ Dr. Walker prompts and Danny draws in a deep breath, anticipating the worst, as always. ‘…I’m glad to see you brought Kara today.’ 

Danny exhales slowly, forcing himself to stop bouncing his knee. ‘You asked me to.’ 

Dr. Walker smiles softly and Kara gives her a sympathetic look, she knows how hard it has become to get any kind of reaction from Danny. 

‘Kara, thanks for being here today. From what I can gather, your relationship has been a bit – unconventional?’ 

Kara looks at Danny who seems more interested in the floor than the conversation and then focuses her attention back on Dr. Walker. ‘Yes, it has been.’ 

‘Why don’t you tell me how you two met?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger but I promise there will be cuteness ahead.  
> I need to pace myself a bit with the posting (because I want to post the cuteness SO BADLY) because there's also a chunk still missing after that so we all have to wait a tiny bit longer. Sorryyyyyyyy.


	6. Chapter 6

Kara smooths down her dress for what feels like the hundredth time. She kind of wants to curse Alisha now for making her wear it in the first place. But it is their last night before deployment and Alisha has been insistent they go out and get a little drunk (and get Kara laid, _her_ words) and honestly, she hadn’t put up that much of a fight. It has been a while since they went out together and it probably would be yet another good while until they would get to again. 

So she’s put on the dress, put on the lipstick and let down her hair and let herself be dragged to the local bar. 

The place is loud but not packed yet, a local cover band playing on the small stage and the string lights twinkling prettily above the small outdoor space in the back. Alisha snags them two seats at the bar and Kara pretends to study the sticky drinks menu for a minute. She knows she’ll have beer and so will Alisha. They are not looking to get too drunk tonight with an early start to the next day looming on the horizon. 

Alisha flags down the bartender and when she eventually makes it all the way down to where they’re sitting, it’s already with a drink in her hand. She sets the glass down in front of Kara with a wink. ‘Courtesy of Tall, Blond and Handsome over there.’ 

She nods to the other end of the bar where a group of men is in animated conversation, except for Tall, Blond and Handsome who is raising his glass at her with a smile. Kara looks at the glass in front of her for a moment. 

It’s some kind of cocktail – it’s pink – and it looks fruity and girlish and it makes her wonder what kind of vibes she was giving off tonight that made TB&H think that this was a good choice of drink for her. She tips the glass at him in acknowledgement anyway, mouthing a ‘thank you’, and his smile grows impossibly wider and Kara – against her better judgement – can feel a blush creep up her face.  
Alisha watches the whole exchange with a grin. 

‘Someone’s gonna get laaaaaiiid,’ she sing-songs before finally ordering a beer. ‘Also, rude. He could’ve at least sprung for drinks for both of us.’ 

Kara hums in response as she takes a sip of the drink in front of her. She’s pleasantly surprised at the taste, it’s more tangy than sweet and it has a bit of a kick to it without tasting too much like alcohol. 

‘Girl, that man cannot stop watching you.’ Alisha leans back against the bar, beer in hand, her eyes going back to the group of men at the end of the bar every so often. 

‘Stop looking, Ali,’ Kara slaps Alisha’s thigh with an uncharacteristically girlish giggle as she chances to steal another glance at TB&H. Alisha grins at her. ‘Yeah I’ll stop when you do. I mean, I get it. Objectively, he is kind of hot, I guess.’ 

Kara feels another blush coming up and yeah, what even is that? She doesn’t do the blushing girly thing, not even for an objectively hot guy buying her a drink, thank you very much. Beside her, Alisha suddenly pushes to her feet with a loud ‘whoo’ when the band starts to play an upbeat song Kara doesn’t recognize. 

‘I love that song!’ Alisha yells at her over the noise as she gracefully pushes through the people around them, dancing her way to the open space in front of the stage doubling as a dance floor. 

Kara takes another sip of her drink and her eyes wander back to where… TB&H used to be. She can’t help the pang of disappointment at seeing him gone. His friends are still there, conversation-yelling at each other over the music and she doesn’t recognize any of them. They are not any of the local regulars or anyone she’s seen around base before which would be a good sign except TB&H…

‘This seat taken?’ TB&H grins at her and Kara’s mind goes blank for a second. 

‘You know it is, but go ahead and have a seat anyway.’ 

It comes out in her best Lieutenant-voice and she winces inwardly. She didn’t even do it on purpose, and she prepares herself for him to think better of it and back off like most men do when she uses this tone. TB&H doesn’t seem to mind though, in fact, he doesn’t even seem to notice, he just sinks into Alisha’s seat, taking up all the space. 

He’s suddenly so much closer and Kara can feel the heat where his leg touches hers. She looks up at him for a moment, takes in his blond hair and ridiculously green eyes, the light stubble on his face. He’s handsome alright, dangerously so, and Kara reaches for her drink with one hand while once again smoothing down the skirt of her dress with the other in an attempt to distract herself. ‘Thanks for the drink.’ 

‘You’re very welcome.’ She can’t help but look back up at him and they end up just looking at each other for a little while until Kara breaks their eye contact with a smile. 

‘So what’s-‘  
‘You know, be-‘ 

They both start speaking at the same time and TB&H laughs, a deep rumble in his chest, and Kara can feel that sound in places she didn’t think a simple sound could reach. 

‘So what’s your name, gorgeous?,’ TB&H tries again and Kara almost snorts into her drink. 

‘That usually work for you?’ 

TB&H isn’t the slightest bit fazed and just shrugs with a smirk. 

‘Kara,’ she finally volunteers, ‘and you know, beer would have been fine.’

‘Danny, and I’ll remember that for next time.’ 

‘Next time, huh?’ 

Someone pushes closer to the bar behind TB- _Danny_ , forcing them closer together, Danny’s knee pushing between hers. He’s only wearing cargo shorts, so they are skin to skin and Kara’s suddenly so aware of how short the stupid dress is, she almost misses Danny getting to his feet, giving her some of her space back. 

‘Do you want-‘ 

Danny’s interrupted again, this time by Alisha stumbling between them and flinging her arms around Kara’s neck. 

‘He’s hot, I told you,’ Alisha faux-whispers non-too quietly and it manages to conjure back the blush to Kara’s face while Danny just seems amused. 

‘You okay or do you need rescuing?’ Alisha follows up, this time actually quiet enough for only Kara to hear. ‘I’m okay, thanks Ali.’ 

Alisha flashes her a bright smile and sets down her empty beer bottle on the bar before disappearing into the crowd again. 

Danny’s still just watching her, patiently, a small smile playing on his lips. He waits until she’s finished her drink to hold out his hand to her. ‘Dance with me?’ 

Her hand feels small in his and she realizes she barely comes up to his shoulder when she stands. She looks up at him, eyes sparkling. 

‘Show me your moves, handsome.’

He grins at her and tugs on her hand. They weave through the crowd together, never once losing touch, till they make it to the dance floor. It’s still relatively empty, a few couples and girls dancing, including Alisha getting close to a tall brunette. 

She expects him to pull her close but instead he swirls her out into the open space before breaking out into very Timberlake-like dance moves. She’s confused for a second until he stops and looks at her expectantly. ‘You wanted moves. Your turn.’ 

She can’t remember the last time she actually full-out laughed like this and it feels great. She digs deep to high school dance team and busts out a short routine that makes her dress swirl prettily around her, ending with a dramatic hair toss over her shoulder. 

By the time Danny does the robot three songs later, Kara is breathless, from dancing, from laughing so much, and she takes Danny’s hand the next chance she gets, tugging him to her. He goes easily and she presses against him, putting her arms around his neck. ‘Thank you.’ 

He looks down at her, brushing a stray stand of hair out of her eyes. ‘What for?’ 

‘The drink, the dancing, for not being a jerk.’ 

The band segues into a slow song and Kara knows this is the moment she’ll have to decide how the rest of the evening is going to go. 

Danny’s hold on her is light, giving her enough room to break away if she wanted to and Kara appreciates it, but she really doesn’t want to let go. Instead, she melts against him, eyes never leaving his, swaying softly to the music. She feels bold, unusually so, as she sneaks her fingertips into the soft strands of hair at the back of his neck. 

‘You gonna kiss me or not?’ 

He seems surprised for the first time that night but recovers quickly enough, his thumb brushing her cheekbone, his palm warm against her cheek. 

When he brings their lips together, softly, it feels like coming home, like she belongs here and it’s different and dangerous and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

*

Kara’s unexpectedly nervous when she’s alone in her apartment with Danny. It’s different than making out with him and talking to him half the night at the bar, more intimate, like more. She’s hyper-aware of his presence in her space, the easy way he navigates the room even in the half-dark.

‘Do you want something to drink?’ 

She hates how nervous she sounds, a small shake in her voice, as she opens the fridge. There’s nothing there, of course there isn’t, she’s shipping out tomorrow. 

‘What d’you have?’ 

Danny rests casually against her kitchen counter, like he belongs there, and it’s unnerving and exhilarating at the same time. She closes the fridge with a little laugh. 

‘Nothing.’ 

He reaches for her hand, pulls her closer. ‘I’m not thirsty, anyway.’ 

She goes easily, until she’s right in front of Danny and when she’s looking up at him, she’s suddenly so sure about this. She rises up on her tip toes and slides her hand up Danny’s chest. 

He just looks at her for a moment, taking in her face, her eyes, like he’s memorizing her, but his heart is racing underneath her palm and she presses closer, impossibly closer, until Danny’s gives in with a small groan, leaning down to close the gap between them, capturing her lips in a kiss that starts off slow and easy and Kara melts into him with a soft sigh. 

His hands slide down her body and he’s lifting her with ease, turning them to sit her on the counter. They break apart for a moment and she’s breathlessly looking up at him and it kills her how much she wants this. His hand comes up to cup her face, thumb brushing against her lower lip. 

‘You want me to stop, just say the word.’ 

Danny’s voice is gravelly and Kara can feel it on her skin, goosebumps chasing up her forearms. She opens her legs to allow for more space and pulls Danny closer by his shirt. 

‘I don’t want you to stop,’ she whispers against his lips as her hands sneak under the hem of his henley, fingers splaying over his abs. 

‘Thank god,’ he mumbles against her lips and he can feel her smile against him, his hands inching up her bare thighs. 

When he kisses her again, the sweetness is gone, replaced by an urgency that leaves her breathless and wanting more, her hands roaming, fingers sneaking into the waistband of his pants. He groans softly against her lips before breaking away. His eyes are dark, pupils blown, as he softly brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘Take this to the bedroom?’ 

Kara looks at the man in front of her, disheveled, so handsome, so hers, so dangerously hers, at least for the night. She leans up for another kiss, nipping his bottom lip. ‘Second door to the right.’ 

There’s a glint of something in his eyes and she giggles when he just lifts her and carries her all the way to her bedroom.

+

She wakes up in Danny’s shirt but to an empty bed. Kara can’t help the disappointment bubbling up inside of her but when she turns over and something crinkles under her arm, a sliver of hope creeps in. It’s a number scrawled on a scrap of paper, followed by _XO, D._

She doesn’t giggle with joy, she doesn’t, she swears. She’s well aware that she’s shipping out today and that this was supposed to be a one-night stand but hell if being with Danny hadn’t felt like more.  
She fishes for her phone on the nightstand and puts in the number.

Still feeling bold, she takes a quick selfie, bed head and all, before opening a new text message, attaching the picture.

_You left your shirt._

The response comes almost immediately.

It’s a picture of Danny, shirtless, still out on the street on his way home from the looks of it, and he’s grinning ear to ear, much like herself right now.

_I’ll be back for it._

Kara bites her lip. It’s possibly the first time in her life that she doesn’t want to leave on deployment, at least not right away. 

It’s only when she closes her text messages that she notices the time and she scrambles out of bed, cursing under her breath. It’s a good thing she prepared everything the day before. All that’s left for her to do is shower and put on her dress whites which means she’ll make it to the James on time.

She’s almost out the door with her bags when she runs back to her bedroom to pick up the discarded shirt still lying on her bed and stuffing it into her bag. 

*  
Kara takes a minute to look out on Norfolk, leaning against the railing. It might be a little while until she will make it back, she knows. 

‘You had fun last night?’ Alisha joins her, looking perky as ever, and in no way like she spent half the last night dancing. 

She elbows her friend with a smile. ‘I did, thank you very much for asking.’ 

‘Did you climb Tall, Blond and Handsome like a tree?’ 

Kara doesn’t answer right away but something in her face must have given her away. 

‘You did! Kara Foster, I didn’t think you had it in you!’ 

There’s some sort of commotion down below on the dock, a dog barking, a group of men in frog suits in obvious discussion with the master chief, catching both women’s attention. 

‘Seems like the big strong men have arrived.’ 

‘Yes, we’d be so lost without them.’ 

After some more discussion, the frog suits board the James with the dog and Kara turns her attention back to her current home. She’ll miss this city. It’s not Kansas but it’s as close to home as anything has come in recent years.

She’s about to turn back to face Alisha when- 

‘Kara?’ 

Her body’s reaction is instant, a shiver chasing up her spine.

She must be hallucinating because it can’t be. 

Alisha is grinning at her like a lunatic before - very unhelpfully- disappearing inside. 

It _can’t_ be. Kara turns and her heart skips a beat. Because right there in front of her, in a frog suit, is Danny, boarding her ship. He had shaved since this morning, skin smooth. The name tag on his arm reads GREEN and he’s here, in uniform, on _her_ ship.

She just stares at him for a second before composing herself. 

‘I didn’t bring your shirt, I didn’t expect you to show up to collect it so soon.’ 

It’s a lie but Danny doesn’t need to know that. Yet. 

Danny cracks a smile, despite everything. He takes her in, her uniform, her name tag, her face. 

‘We’ll just have to figure something else out then, Lt. Foster.’ 

He’s cocky and flirty and Kara blushes, again, her heart racing. _Frat rules_ , she reminds herself. She’s on a _navy ship_ and there are _frat rules_. 

They make it to their second day at sea before frat rules walk the plank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little something fluffy and cute to lighten up the angst. Sorry for chickening out of the smut, I promise it will come eventually when it is relevant to the plot :)


	7. Chapter 7

Dr. Walker is smiling as she’s writing on her notepad. ‘That’s quite a start. Now let me ask you a question – and it’s okay to think about the answer, I don’t need you to answer right away. Knowing what you know now, would you make the same decision of leaving together that night?’

‘Yes.’  
‘Best decision of my life.’

Their replies are instant, simultaneous, and Danny can feel the ache in his chest at how in sync they still are and how much he misses it. He’s surprised when Kara reaches for his hand, gives it a squeeze.

‘That is great to hear. Now Kara, I already got a decent overview of your life together on mission, on the ship, the hardships, the pregnancy, the missions, from what Danny has already told me. What I need from you now, if you are okay with it - and I know this might not easy for both of you- but can you try to tell us how you have experienced being with Danny since you came home from Columbia?’

Kara straightens in her seat, squares her shoulders against the memories. ‘The thing is, it didn’t start after Columbia. We had trouble before.’

+++

‘You can’t leave again, Danny!’ 

It’s louder than she intends and toddler Frankie hiccups softly against her shoulder. She rubs soothing circles on her son’s back while Danny keeps throwing clothes haphazardly into a travel bag. 

‘It’s just a couple of weeks, Kara. I’m going crazy sitting in an office all day.’ 

‘Don’t you think-‘ Kara stops herself, takes a deep breath, then starts again in a whisper-hiss. ‘Don’t you think I don’t miss being on a ship, out on a mission? We have a family now, Danny, _you_ have a family now. You already missed so much of Frankie’s life, don’t you think you owe it to him to be here while you can?’ 

Danny sighs but doesn’t stop the packing. ‘You know it’s not about- I have to go Kara, the team needs me.’ 

‘You don’t _have_ to go, you _choose_ to go, you’re not even on active- I swear Danny, you leave today, don’t bother coming back.’ 

Kara reverts to shouting again, eyes brimming with tears. Tears of anger, Danny is pretty sure. Frankie starts fussing against her chest, crying softly. 

‘I’m sorry, Kar. We’ll talk about it when I get back. I love you.’ 

‘Do you? Do you really, Danny? I mean it, you leave now, that’s it! I’m done!’ 

A few weeks turn into a few months turn into another assignment and another after that. He never finds out Kara changed the locks. He doesn’t even try coming back to their home when he makes it back from South America after the attack on the fleet.

+++

Dr. Walker stops writing just long enough to look up at them. ‘Danny, why did you feel the need to leave your family for extended periods of time then?’

Kara looks at her like she’s grown a second head. Surely, she doesn’t expect an answer. 

‘I was feeling restless, I couldn’t function without the adrenaline rush. Being home, spending time at home or behind a desk, it made me feel anxious to the point where it was getting hard to breathe. I couldn’t even take care of the men under my command; how could I possibly take care of you and-’ 

Danny’s voice breaks and he clears his throat.

‘I just didn’t feel like I was good enough to be with you. And it wasn’t you making me feel that way but me, all me. I was always on guard, I didn’t let you in, I didn’t talk to you, I was so in my own head. But I meant it when I said I love you. Meant it then, mean it now.’

Danny Green, talking about his feelings. Kara is speechless and just keeps looking back and forth between Dr. Walker and Danny.

‘Danny has been working on vocalizing his feelings to help him deal with them.’ Dr. Walker explains and Kara nods, still a bit shell-shocked.

‘Kara, would you care to address this issue?’

Kara turns in her seat to face Danny and it takes a moment for him to meet her eyes.

‘I just wish you would have talked to me about it. I’ve been there for most of it, we’ve been through this together.’

He shakes his head.

‘You weren’t there, Kara. You didn’t see. You were holed up in CIC and you- you can’t imagine. The things we saw, the things we did. I had men dying in my arms. Hell, the only one still alive to tell any tales from way back is Wolf. Him and me, that’s it.’

‘I’ve been at war right there with you, Danny. I had to fire on you in the Med, do you know how that felt? Everything that happened in St. Louis, the kidnapping in Vietnam, I didn’t know if you were just MIA or KIA, _San Diego_ , when I almost lost you in Malta. I never stop worrying about you when you’re away, I can’t stand the thought of losing you. And that is on top of the things I see doing my job. I don’t need you to take care of me and Frankie, I just need you to be here, I need you to want to be here.’

She turns to face Dr. Walker.

‘It has been an issue. After the Columbian’s attack on our fleet, Danny was home for a couple of months. I tried to get him to be there with us but he was-,’  
she turns back to Danny  
‘Danny, you were so jaded and weary, mistrusting everything and everyone, you couldn’t relax or sit still for five minutes. Frankie- he was already tiptoeing around you the few times he even got to see you. And when you came to me and said you wanted to come home, that you wanted to make it work – Danny, I wanted that so bad for us, for you. And then after Columbia, when we got back home, it was- like another part of you had just vanished. You were there physically but it wasn’t you. You weren’t sleeping, you were jumping out of your skin at the slightest noise or touch- you can’t imagine how many times I just wanted to hug you or sleep next to you, but you were so far away, in your head, or working out until the early hours. You couldn’t stand to be touched. I missed you so bad, I missed you more having you home like that than I ever did when you were gone.’

Dr. Walker finishes her notes and looks up at them. 

‘Have you talked to your son about the situation? He’s how old now?’

‘6, almost 7. I tried to explain it to him as best as I could. That Danny was having bad memories and sometimes would get scared when reminded of them. It still has been hard for him to understand, I think. The hypervigilance, it’s hard to explain, I don’t think Frankie consciously ever experienced Danny in a non-hypervigilant state. He’s been on edge for far longer than since Columbia.’

Beside her, Danny is shaking with pent-up emotion. ‘Shit Kara, I’m so sorry-‘ She shifts closer, rests her hand on his thigh, and he stops talking, releasing a shaky breath instead.

‘I don’t need you to apologize anymore, Danny, I know you’re sorry. I just need you to do better in the future. And I’m really happy to see that you’re working on that.’ 

His first instinct is to shift closer but he settles on covering her hand on his thigh with his own, relief flooding him when she doesn’t move away.

Dr. Walker glances to the clock up on the wall. ‘I think that’s it for today. Danny, we have an appointment in 2 weeks, correct?’ 

‘Yes, Doc.’ He confirms, only reluctantly moving to stand. Kara’s hand falls from his leg and he can still feel the warmth of her touch against his skin and he already misses it. Kara rises beside him, picking up her handbag at the foot of the couch and he’s not sure what’s going to happen now. He nods his goodbye to Dr. Walker and makes for the door.

‘Kara, would you mind staying a moment?’ 

Kara stops in her tracks, drops her bag back to the floor, Danny stopping on his way out the door. 

‘Go ahead, Danny.’ Dr Walker encourages but he’s not so dense that he doesn’t understand he’s being kicked out. He hesitates just a moment before closing the office door from the outside, leaving the two women alone.

Kara settles back onto the couch, not sure what to expect. Dr. Walker watches her for a moment before putting her notepad down.

‘I know you have a decision to make, Kara.’ 

Kara nods.

‘Danny has made remarkable progress in the last few weeks.’

‘He seems to be doing better,’ Kara agrees, hands folded neatly in front of her.

‘Yes, but when you decide to let him back into your life and your home, I need you to be prepared. Despite the progress, Danny still suffers from PTSD. There will still be times when he may be triggered into flashbacks by things you might not have even considered to be triggers. He will most likely still have nightmares. There will be times when he won’t get enough sleep and might revert to a more hypervigilant state. He will most likely be living with some level of PTSD for the rest of his life.’ 

Dr. Walker softens her voice when Kara seems to have trouble finding a reply.

‘I also need you to take care of your own emotional needs. I feel you may have opted not to do that in the past and it’s not helping either of you. Danny needs to know when you are upset or scared. This is not just about your son’s and your husband’s well-being. You need to be able to vocalize your needs to him as well. It will be good for him to get that feedback and may even be helpful to him. I know this is a lot to process, Kara, but it is information you need to make an informed decision on how you plan to continue your life with or without your husband.’

Kara straightens in her seat, shoulders squared, and her voice comes out steely.

‘With all due respect ma’am, but there’s no version of this life without my husband. I know my actions seemed harsh, kicking him out and cutting him off, but it was just what was needed to make him see reason. Sometimes, he needs a push. This was not meant to be a dissolution of our lives together.’

Dr. Walker nods in acknowledgement.

‘And I respect your decision. Danny has made a lot of progress in being able to talk about his feelings but there will still be things he might not be ready to tell you, especially pertaining to some of the trauma that has caused the PTSD in the first place. I’m confident he will open up to you about it with time, but it might be tough going until you reach that point. It will be good for him if you keep encouraging him to talk but don’t push too hard, it needs to come from him. I think it would also be beneficial to all of you to draw up a plan, visitations, timetables, structure will help him to plan his days. I will be continuing sessions with him but on a less regular basis. Do feel free to give him a nudge in my direction if you feel there’s something that needs addressing.’

Kara takes a deep breath, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.

‘Thank you, Dr. Walker.’ 

She picks up her bag, slings it over her shoulder, before rising back to her feet.

‘I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for him.’

Dr. Walker gives her a smile. ‘You’re welcome, Kara. I wish you all the best.’

Kara nods, opens the door. She’s rattled, her thoughts racing at a thousand miles a minute, and she’s not prepared for the hopeful look on Danny’s face when she exits the office. He takes in her look, her posture, and his face falls. 

She reaches out, takes his hand, and he releases a breath. 

‘Can we have dinner tomorrow?’

He grins at her and for a second it reminds her so much of the Danny she used to know.

‘I’ll pick you up at 1900?

She nods, releasing his hand. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Danny.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work is insane right now so writing is going a bit slow right now. I have most of this done but I'm still missing a chunk in the middle which I am working on right now. So bear with me, updates might take me a bit longer to post right now.


	8. Chapter 8

Kara sighs as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. She has already changed her blouse three times, but nothing seems right.

‘You do know this is not a first date, right darling? The man already loves you; you could wear your uniform and he would still be all over you.’ 

‘You’re not helping, mom.’

Debbie looks at Kara, then back to the options laid out on the bed, before taking a hanger into her hand, holding it out to her daughter. ‘The black one.’

Kara considers it for a moment, then strips out of the red one she’s wearing. 

She tries the black again and the flowy material is nice and flattering and makes her feel comfortable and for once she finds herself agreeing with her mother. She’s just putting on the finishing touches of lipstick when the doorbell rings and her heart rate picks up whether from nerves or excitement, she’s not sure.

She hurries down the stairs, her mother snorting at her rapid pace but following anyway. With her hand on the handle, the exhales slowly, willing her heart to slow down, before opening the door.  
Danny looks just as nervous as she feels and oh-so-handsome in jeans and an open-necked white dress shirt, and she’s relieved he didn’t bring flowers or anything else that would have made this seem even more like a date. Because it’s not. A date. 

‘Wow, you look great.’ Danny seems flustered and she revels in it, despite her own nerves. 

‘Thanks, you too.’ She reaches behind the door for her jacket and before she can stop it, her mother pushes past her.

‘Debbie.’ Danny greets her, but he’s shifting uneasily, not knowing what to expect. ‘Daniel.’

Danny instinctively straightens, but Debbie draws him into a hug. ‘You make sure you do everything you can to make this right, you hear me?’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ She releases him when Kara exits, pats him on the cheek. ‘You kids have fun.’ Debbie disappears back inside and Kara hovers on the front steps. 

‘Ready?’ She nods and they make their way to the car.

Danny drives them to a small Italian restaurant a few blocks away, and Kara can appreciate it. It’s her favorite but she also knows Danny doesn’t really like the place. 

She’s surprised to find out he made a reservation, the restaurant almost empty on a weekday, but she gets why when they are escorted to a booth at the far end, close to the service exit and with a view of almost the whole room. Danny still seems nervous when they sit, his knee bouncing. ‘I hope this is okay? I know you like this place.’ 

She reaches over the table, takes his hand. ‘It’s great. Relax, Danny.’ 

His knee stops bouncing, but she can feel him tensing when the waiter suddenly appears from Danny’s only blind spot.

‘Can I get you something to drink?’ 

He hands them the menus and Danny reluctantly lets her hand go. 

‘Wine, red, please.’ 

Danny accepts the menu from their waiter. ‘Just water for me, thanks.’ 

Her surprise must have shown because Danny rushes to clarify. ‘It could go either way with alcohol, I just don’t want to-‘ 

‘You don’t have to explain, Danny.’ 

She sets to studying the menu and he does the same, both placing their orders when the waiter returns with their drinks. Kara takes a sip of her wine, swirling the liquid in the glass, and Danny watches her for a moment. ‘This feels weird, right?’ 

Kara nods with a small smile, because, yes, it does feel weird and it really shouldn’t. ‘Do you remember how back in the arctic, you always promised you would take me to dinner once we made it back? A proper date?’ 

Danny huffs a laugh at the memory. It feels like so long ago. ‘By the time we made it back we were way past going on a date, don’t you think?’ 

‘Yeah, but back in the arctic, before we knew about the Red Flu, I used to think about it a lot, how you and me would work out once we made it back. Even then, I couldn’t stand the thought of not having you in my life.’ 

He seems relieved and a little part of her heart breaks at how unsure of his place in her life he is now. 

Danny’s about to say something but the waiter interrupts, setting their appetizers on the table. Kara takes a few bites, but Danny only pushes the food on his plate with the fork, mind elsewhere.

‘I wanted to say thank you, Kara. For not giving up on me. It means a lot. I know I’ve made your life difficult, even before, back on the James. You had every right to walk away.’

Kara leans over and steals a piece of carpaccio from Danny’s plate. ‘For better or worse, right?’

Danny pushes his plate to the middle of the table so it’s easier for her to reach. ‘You deserve a lot more better and a lot less worse though.’

Kara extends her hand to him and he takes it without hesitation. ‘We don’t get to choose, Danny. We have to take the good with the bad. So we just happened to have a spell of bad, it doesn’t mean there won’t be good again. I know things can be good for us again if we just stick with it.’

He squeezes her hand, swallowing thickly. She can tell he’s getting emotional and it’s unexpected, to have Danny be so open with showing his feelings. She releases his hand and starts picking at his plate again, letting the beef melt on her tongue. ‘You gonna eat any of this? It’s really good.’

It breaks the tension and Danny cracks a small smile, pushing the plate all the way to her side of the table. ‘Go ahead, enjoy.’

The waiter brings their mains a few minutes later and they keep the conversation light while they eat and Danny is thankful for it. It feels nice, easy, being here with Kara, talking about how their days have been. 

It’s only when the table’s cleared and Kara is nursing a cappuccino that Danny feels some tension creep back in. 

‘I hope the Doc didn’t freak you out yesterday.’ He tries for a humorous tone but the concern is real, her rattled look when they left all that had been on his mind last night. 

‘It was a bit of a reality check. But I’m really glad you’re seeing her; it seems to be good for you. It’s just- you know we can’t just go back to the way things were, right?’

Danny straightens in his seat, but he doesn’t seem surprised. 

‘I’m willing to do whatever you need me to. You are in charge. I know this is about what Frankie and you want and need, and I respect that.’ 

She knows this is hard for him, giving up control of the situation when he’s just regained it. He has always been about taking charge, running into fire, facing the challenges on his terms. Something they both know won’t work for them right now.

‘I just need you to talk to me, Danny, let me be there. You can’t sleep, tell me. You’re overwhelmed, tell me. You need space, _tell me_. Don’t shut down on me. And I know that’s not easy for you, but that is what I need from you. I can’t keep going on wondering which version of you I get at any given time, if I made something worse for you by doing something or doing nothing. As for Frankie, we will have to see how he feels around you. I know he misses you, but you know it took a toll on him to see you like that.’

Danny nods and he seems calm, collected, but his flexing hands betray him.

‘I know. I can’t promise you I’ll be perfect right away but I’m trying.’ 

‘I know you are.’

+

The drive home is far more relaxed and Danny’s not sure if it is because of the visitation plan they have drawn up or just because he had dreaded the outcome of this conversation for so long. When he pulls to a stop in front of Kara’s house, he suddenly feels nervous. 

_Not a date_ , he reminds himself. There are no expectations and no moves for him to make, he knows, but he can’t help the nervous energy anyway. From the other side of the car, Kara looks at him and if this were a date, he would be moving in to kiss her now but it’s not. A date. 

‘Thank you for tonight. And dinner. I really think we can make this work, Danny.’ 

He smiles, genuinely, a smile that reaches his eyes, and Kara’s lips curve up as well. She leans over, presses her lips to his cheek for a moment. 

She is gone out of his space again way to soon and it takes a moment for his brain to catch up. ‘I’ll see you soon. Call me if you need to change anything, yeah?’ 

She’s halfway out the car already as he nods, and he belatedly realizes that she probably can’t see. 

‘I will. Thanks, Kar. Give Frankie a kiss for me.’

‘Sure. Good night, Danny. Drive safe.’

He watches her as she walks to the front door and struggles to find her keys in her bag. She turns back to him when she has finally got the door open and he can’t help a smile when she gives a small wave. He returns the gesture before starting the car. 

He feels- _hopeful_ and if he can’t stop from smiling and he turns the volume on the radio a little higher to sing along to the song that’s playing, no one has to know.

+

Danny’s not sure what to expect. It’s testament to how much of an absent father he has been the last years that he doesn’t know how Frankie will react to his presence. He should know, and a part of him is so nervous that Frankie’s not even going to want to see him that it makes his heart beat faster. It feels weird to ring the doorbell like a stranger but it’s his life for now and he’ll accept it.   
Kara looks as nervous as he feels when she opens the door for him, but it’s so good to see her and Danny can’t help a smile. She looks worried but he’s more distracted by the low-riding sweats and the messy bun exposing the long line of her neck. The sudden spark of desire for her is unexpected but a welcome distraction nonetheless. 

It’s been some time since he felt good enough to let his mind even go there, and he knows the timing sucks, but he still allows himself a second to take her in, the ratty t-shirt, the bare feet, the wedding ring on her finger she’s twisting restlessly. It’s sexy, understated, and if this had been before, he already would have his hands on her, her body against his. 

‘And what are you smiling about?’ Her voice breaks his train of thought and he blinks at her for a moment.

‘You look pretty today.’ 

Kara scrunches her nose at him. ‘I’m a mess.’ 

She can’t stop a small smile though. ‘But thank you anyway.’

‘You’re welcome, Kar.’ 

She looks at him for a long moment, eyes unreadable, until her cheeks start to flush. She runs her hands down her shirt, smoothing invisible wrinkles, before stepping aside, motioning for him to come in.

The house looks and smells the same, but it feels different to Danny. He can’t remember if he ever really made happy memories here, the only thing coming to mind now nightmares and sleepless nights. He honestly hopes it is not the same for Kara and Frankie, that he hasn’t spoiled this house for them as well.

‘How’s Frankie?’

‘He’s upstairs, expanding his Lego kingdom. I told him you may stop by today, he seemed okay with the idea.’

They are still hovering in the hall and it should be awkward, yet all Danny feels is a sense of calm at just being within reaching distance of Kara again, with just the two of them in the room. He could stay here the rest of the day, just looking at her, but that is not what today is about. He ducks his head with a small smile to make himself not look at her. 

‘Okay if I go upstairs?’

She nods, teeth worrying her bottom lip. ‘Just- I don’t know. I’m just a shout away. If you need anything.’

‘Okay.’ Their arms brush as he passes her, and he wants to reach for her so much it hurts. 

He starts up the stairs instead, stopping halfway up to look at the new picture that has gone up since he last was here. It’s Frankie’s school picture – Frankie’s first day of school, another milestone he’s missed. He knows there is just one here that he is in, from way back when, when Frankie was really young. He adds it to his list, make sure there’s more pictures of all of them on this wall. 

He continues up the stairs and only stops when he’s close to the door to Frankie’s room. There’s a sudden surge of adrenalin in his blood, like he’s about to go into battle. He wills his racing heart to slow down before rounding the corner, but he still has the echo of his heartbeat in his ears when he lays eyes on his son. 

Frankie is seated on the floor, busy with the Legos, as Kara had said, and Danny takes a moment to just watch his son. He seems content, surrounded by the colorful building blocks and half-finished projects. Danny brings his hand up to softly knock on the doorjamb to get the boy’s attention. 

Frankie’s head immediately snaps around, and his eyes go wide for a second, before his whole face lights up. ‘Daddy!’ 

He’s on his feet and closing the distance between them quicker than Danny expects but he abruptly halts before he reaches his father, stopping about a foot away from him. 

‘Hey, buddy.’ 

Frankie seems torn between excitement and insecurity, so Danny holds out a hand to him. Frankie’s hand is so small in his, so fragile, but then Frankie throws caution to the wind and just full out jumps into him, and he’s warm and solid against Danny’s chest and Danny forgets to breathe for a second. 

Frankie’s arms go around his neck, his nose buried in Danny’s shoulder and Danny holds on until Frankie starts wriggling against him. He sets him back onto his feet and Danny’s sure his heart would explode out of his chest with love for this child if possible. ‘Can you stay and play with me?’

It kills Danny inside that Frankie even feels the need to ask. 

‘Sure, whatever you want.’ 

Frankie returns to the Lego battlefield that is the floor of his room and Danny can’t help a smile when he clears a space for Danny to sit before motioning to it. Danny sits carefully, not sure if there is not some logic to the scattered Legos he’s just not seeing. 

It hasn’t escaped his notice that Frankie has gone quiet again, retreating more into himself, like he’s not sure what to do with himself around Danny.

‘What are we building?’

‘A dragon. To protect the castle. So the king and his family don’t have to be scared.’

Danny lets his eyes wander around the room, taking in the work in progress. The whole set-up is elaborate with the castle and the drawbridge across a small moat. ‘That’s a great idea.’

Frankie keeps building the dragon wing until he can attach it to the body with a ‘snick’, then starts on the other side.

‘Do you still get scared?’ 

Frankie’s voice is small and he doesn’t look up from the Lego pieces he’s trying to make fit. The question hits Danny right in the chest, the hopeful tone to his son’s voice a sharp reminder of how much he messed it all up. He takes a breath and busies himself with putting some Lego pieces together as well. ‘Yeah, sometimes.’ 

‘Why?’ 

And hell, if Danny knows. 

‘Do you remember when you were little, and you were scared of the monster under your bed?’ 

He only knows because Kara told him, not because he was there. Frankie pulls a face at the memory. 

‘Sometimes, I get scared of the monster under my bed and I can’t sleep. Or I get reminded of the monster by something during the day- it’s scary sometimes. But it has nothing to do with you, Frankie. I just don’t always know when something is going to be scary, you know?’ 

Frankie nods, looks up at him again for the first time. ‘Mommy took care of the monster under my bed.’ 

Danny laughs. ‘Yeah, she sure did.’ 

‘Can’t she take care of yours, too?’ 

‘I wish, buddy. But I have some people helping me to take care of it. It will just take a little more time.’ Frankie shifts closer, his knee touching Danny’s on the floor. 

‘Are you going to sleep here again? I think mommy’s sad when you are not here.’ 

Danny brings his hand up to run through Frankie’s hair. ‘Are you sad?’ 

Frankie nods under his hand and Danny’s sure he stops breathing for a second. It only dawns on him now, that in all the months he has spent away working on his own issues, Kara and Frankie’s life had not just magically moved on without him. It’s unexpected and overwhelming, the rush of guilt surging through his body, and he has to swallow against the emotions constricting his throat. 

‘I’m not going to be home just yet, but we can spend a lot more time together if you like to.’ 

Frankie doesn’t answer but he also doesn’t move away, and Danny takes it as a win. Frankie eventually pulls away, picking up the Lego pieces Danny has been working on. 

‘This is all wrong.’ Danny laughs as Frankie disassembles the Legos with a frown. 

‘Alright, you finish that dragon, I go check in with mommy real quick, yes?’ 

Frankie nods, front teeth worrying his lip as he sets to finish his project. Danny rises to his feet, taking a few moments to watch his son, heart aching for all the moments he has missed over the years and last few months. 

When he exits Frankie’s room, he almost crashes into Kara, who’s resting against the hallway wall, eyes closed, breathing uneven. He wants to reach out to her so much, but he still feels like he hasn’t earned that right, and it takes a lot of effort to keep his distance, his hands flexing uneasily at his sides. 

‘Hey, are you okay?’ 

Her eyes snap open and they are watery, the smile she tries for wavering. 

‘I didn’t even realize he noticed I was-,’ she swallows, takes a deep breath in an effort to compose herself. ‘I thought I held it together.’ 

‘I miss being here, too. Being with you.’ Danny’s voice is quiet, raspy in a way that betrays his calm features, and he releases a shaky breath when Kara suddenly steps into his space. 

Her arms go around his body, her head coming to rest on his chest and he pulls her close instinctively, holding her against him. It’s overwhelming, to have her so close after months of not even seeing her, but it also soothes his soul in a way very few things do. 

He holds on until Kara moves against him, resting her forehead against his chest for a second as she takes in a steadying breath. She can feel he is reluctant to let her go, and Kara takes a moment to look up at him, resting lightly back against his arms around her back. ‘You did good in there.’

She steps away far too early for his taste, his hand lingering on her hip a moment longer. ‘He seems okay, right?’ 

Kara nods, her hand moving his hand away from her hip only to twine their fingers together. ‘Yeah, he does. Come with me for a sec?’ 

She gives a small tug and he follows her back downstairs and into the kitchen. ‘Coffee?’ 

He shakes his head. ‘No coffee for me after noon.’ 

‘Oh. That makes sense.’ 

She continues to pour herself a cup anyway and hands a glass of water to Danny. 

‘I’m really happy to see that Frankie seems okay with you being here. And you seem to be doing good as well.’ 

She sits down at her usual spot at the kitchen table, but Danny remains at the counter opposite her for now. 

‘You know, the thought of coming back home to you and to Frankie is the main thing that has kept me going the last few months. I want to be well enough that both of you are comfortable with me being in the same house again. I want Frankie to know me, not just the shadow of me. That’s not the kind of father I want to be.’

He knows he has never really talked to Kara about his parents and she hadn’t pushed him on his reluctance to go find them when all she wanted to do was find her mother once they had made it back with the vaccine.

‘Growing up, I was practically raised by nannies and maids. I never had much face time with my parents. I acted out a lot for attention. You would have hated the guy I was back then. My mom, she wanted me to go to college, study law or medicine. Hell, I joined the Navy just to spite her. They were both furious. But I really liked it. I had structure for the first time in my life, learned discipline. I trained hard, I worked hard and I got my life on track.   
And I promised myself, if I should ever have kids, I would be there, every step of the way. They wouldn’t have to grow up without a father, I wouldn’t be that kind of parent when the time came. My kids would know me, know that I would be there for them, always. And then I went and screwed it all up anyway.’ 

Kara sets down her coffee cup as she considers the new information It’s probably the most he has ever talked about himself to her but it’s still hard to reconcile the Danny she knows with the rebellious teen, though his willingness to bend the rules – especially frat rules – seems to make a bit more sense. 

‘You didn’t screw up, Danny, you have just been struggling for longer than you realize. And I get that you feel like you have failed but Frankie’s still young, you still have time to make this right and be the father you want to be. Be the husband you want to be.’

He pushes away from the counter and joins her at the table, his hand automatically finding hers on the tabletop. ‘I know I made a lot of promises to you that I didn’t keep, but I mean it this time. I will do anything I can to prove to you that I can be the man you need me to be.’

‘You know, Frankie was right, I do miss having you here. I hate waking up alone and- I don’t need you to make me promises, Danny. Just keep showing up. Be the guy I know you are.’

++

He picks Frankie up from school a few days later. Or tries to. One of the teachers gives him the third degree and all but accuses him of trying to kidnap his own son and they end up having to call Kara to confirm he’s actually allowed to take Frankie with him. Frankie talks his ear off all the way home and Kara tries hard not to laugh at him when she makes it home. It’s still a good day.

++

The next pick-up goes smoother. Frankie’s teacher apologizes to him for last time and Frankie grabs his hand in a surprising display of support. He doesn’t let go until they pass the ice cream store on the way home and Frankie runs to press his nose to the glass. 

‘Can we get ice cream, daddy?’ 

Danny knows he really shouldn’t because Kara has already prepared lunch for them to warm up at home but he’s also not above buying affection with sugar.

‘Alright, one scoop. And don’t tell mommy.’ 

++

They go back to the park on the weekend. Frankie’s running off to some of the other kids as soon as they get there, and Danny and Kara find a bench to sit on. They both watch their son race around with his friend for a while until Kara unexpectedly takes his hand, shifting closer to him. 

‘You know, his teacher called the other day, she was surprised how much better Frankie was doing, how lively he is now.’ 

He interlaces their fingers, and just lets himself enjoy having her so close. ‘That’s great, Kar.’ 

‘You know it’s because of you, right? He enjoys having you around so much.’ 

‘He makes it easy. I never thought he’d be so quick to warm to me again after what I’ve put him through.’

Kara looks up at him and all he wants is to lean down and kiss her, but he settles for tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. ‘Kids are resilient. Or so I’m told.’

He laughs and Kara just keeps looking at him. ‘What have you been up to on base? Slattery mentioned Carter allowed you back to the MWU?’ 

Danny lets himself watch Frankie for a while though he can still feel Kara’s eyes on her. 

‘I’m teaching now, theoretical stuff. Carter’s still got me banned from training. It’s probably for the best.’ 

‘Danny Green, teacher. I can’t really picture it.’ 

There’s humor in her voice so he doesn’t take it personally. 

‘Come by sometime, see for yourself. Just know, there’s no flirting with the teacher though, so-‘ 

She slaps his chest and he mock-gasps. ‘And who said there would be flirting?’

‘You and me, in uniform, in a classroom. There will be flirting. Hell, you wouldn’t even stop flirting with me on a destroyer, there’s no telling what would happen when you see me kicking ass and taking names in a classroom.’

She pokes his chest and he grins at her and for a second there’s something in her eyes he can’t quite place. 

‘You- unbelievable! You were the one who wouldn’t stop flirting with me. You started the whole flirting thing with that drink you bought me!’ 

He laughs, a deep rumble in his chest, a sound she hasn’t heard in so long and she leans up to peck his cheek as he pulls her fully against his side. 

‘I take full responsibility. Best ten bucks I ever spent.’ 

It feels nice, sitting in the sun together, bantering like the last five years haven’t happened. He closes his eyes against the brightness, letting Kara’s weight at his side and her head on his shoulder soothe his mind. 

He doesn’t know how long they spent just sitting on that bench together but when Kara speaks again, the sun is no longer in his eyes. ‘It’s Frankie’s birthday next week.’ 

Danny huffs a laugh. ‘Yeah, Frankie’s only been reminding me of it ten times a day.’

Kara snorts. ‘Of course he is. We’re going to have a party on Friday, with his friends, but maybe you could come by on Thursday to help set up and have him open some presents on his actual birthday? I think he’d really like that.’ 

Before he can reply, Frankie comes running over and squeezes in between them. Danny ruffles his hair as Frankie turns to Kara. ‘Can I have a juice box, please?’ 

Kara goes digging through the bag she brought and hands the drink to him. ‘Here you go. And no running with the straw in your-‘ 

Frankie’s already zipping away though, only half listening. Danny chuckles at her and Kara can’t help the smile tugging at her lips. ‘It’s your bad influence.’ 

‘I don’t even care. And of course I’ll be there for his birthday, wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I - I mean I can't even with this chapter. I'm so sorry for the big delay but this was the only chapter missing and I re-wrote it about 10 times and this is as good as it's going to get so I'm just biting the bullet now and posting it as is.


	9. Chapter 9

Danny strings another gaggle of balloons to the back of the kitchen chair. It’s Frankie’s birthday today and he’s been decorating all morning for Frankie’s birthday party with his friends tomorrow, the house still blissfully silent with Kara at work and Frankie in school. He’s pretty sure it’s overkill, with the balloons and the streamers and the banner, but it’s the first time he’s really here for Frankie’s birthday and Danny is determined to make the most of it. 

When the front door finally opens a little after 2 pm, Danny expects Kara and Frankie, but there’s more people coming into the house, laughter and conversation suddenly filling the silence. He peeks out of the kitchen for just a moment but it’s enough for Frankie to spot him, dropping his bag on the spot and breaking into a run. ‘Daddy!’ 

Danny finds himself with an armful of wiggling child as his son all but jumps at him. ‘Happy birthday, Frankie.’ 

‘Can we open presents now?’ Frankie lisps at him through the gap where his front tooth used to be until two days ago and Danny ruffles his son’s hair before setting him back onto his feet, turning him back into the direction the voices are still sounding from. ‘Let’s see who you brought with you first, yeah?’

‘Uncle Wolf and Auntie Azima,’ Frankie rattles off. ‘They came to tell me happy birthday and to bring presents.’ 

‘Oh they did, did they?’ 

Frankie nods enthusiastically, impatiently pulling on Danny’s hand. He lets Frankie guide him into the living room where indeed, Wolf and Azima are still in conversation with Kara. 

‘Well, look what the cat dragged in.’ Wolf grins at him while Frankie looks semi-scandalized. ‘I’m not a cat!’ 

Kara laughs, pulling her son to her. ‘It’s just a saying, baby.’ 

Wolf walks over and wraps Danny into a hug. ‘You look better.’ 

The words are quiet against his ear and Danny holds on a moment longer before breaking away. 

‘Yeah. Thanks for coming. And bringing presents. It means a lot.’ 

‘Hey, anything for my favorite little mate.’ 

Danny laughs softly, moving in to hug Azima hello. ‘I do hope you had some input into gift choices?’ 

‘I tried my best.’ Azima sounds slightly apologetic but she smiles at him as she pulls away. ‘You look good, Green. Might be able to give Taylor a run for his money again soon.’

‘Heard that, Zima.’

There’s humor in Wolf’s voice and Danny can’t remember a time when those two weren’t verbally sparring. He watches as Wolf picks up his son, easily, despite the bad shoulder, and puts him on his shoulders, walking them over to the stack of presents on the dining table. 

Kara sidles up to them. 

‘You did all this?’ She nods to the decorations. 

‘Yeah, hope that’s okay.’ 

She leans up, presses a kiss to his cheek. 

‘More than, spares me a lot of time. Thank you, Danny.’ 

‘You’re welcome.’ 

‘Ugh, gross.’

Azima rolls her eyes at them, but she can’t quite keep her lips from quirking into a smile. Danny laughs, gives her a friendly push and she joins Wolf and Frankie at the gift table. Frankie’s about to rip into the first present when he thinks better off it and turns to Kara. ‘Can I, mom?’ 

Kara waits a moment, and Frankie fidgets with the present in his hands. ‘Sure, go ahead.’ 

Frankie tears into the wrapping paper with gusto, revealing the Lego set from Debbie and Frankie whoops with joy before immediately going on to the next one, a wooden puzzle from Azima, but it’s the next one that really gets Frankie’s joy levels through the roof and makes Kara groan next to him. 

‘Really, Wolf? Nerf guns?’ 

He shrugs with a sheepish grin, nerf gun already in his hand. Frankie shoots a dart at him and ducks under the table and the chase is on. 

Azima, Kara and Danny relocate to the kitchen while Frankie and Wolf start an all-out battle that goes over and under furniture through all the downstairs rooms. Danny moves out of the way as they come to their big finale right in the kitchen, Frankie sliding into the kitchen on his socks, his foam dart hitting Wolf square in the forehead. Wolf goes down dramatically but in true Taylor-fashion fires off two more rounds of darts, both hitting Frankie in his chest and he collapses to the floor with no less drama. 

For a moment everything goes black for Danny, his heart racing, vision blurring, and he grips onto the first thing he can reach. He’s frozen in place, his breath hitching - _black hair, dark eyes, grey shirt, bright red blood stain, just a tiny body_.

There’s a flurry of voices around him but he can’t hear what they’re saying, the blood rushing so loudly in his ears. He forces himself to suck in a deep breath but it does nothing to stop his head from spinning, his eyes from burning.

The commotion around him stops and silence settles in the room and he startles out of his haze when a hand comes to rest on top of his. ‘Breathe, Danny.’ Kara tries her best to keep her voice steady, but it still comes out shaky. The wood of the chair creaks beneath his hands from the death grip he has on it and his weight leaning on it. ‘Danny, listen to me. I need you to breathe. Please.’

It’s a struggle, his mind whirling - _just a tiny body_ \- but he finally snaps out of it, gasping for air, whole body straining with the effort of staying upright. He takes a couple of shuddering breaths and his vision slowly returns, his grip on the chair easing. 

It’s only now that he realizes the weight against his back is Kara, holding on to him, her arms tight around his middle. He straightens and her hold eases up a bit. ‘Danny-‘ 

He turns, pulling her close to his chest, his nose burying in her hair. He breathes in the vanilla scent of her shampoo, lets the weight of her body against his ground him. It takes a while, but his heart rate slows and his vision and his mind clear and when they do, a completely different anxiety sets in. 

‘Frankie?’, he croaks, voice rough to his own ears and Kara looks up at him, the look in her eyes just as shaken as he feels.

‘He’s fine. I sent him outside with Wolf and Azima.’ 

Danny releases her, sinks down onto the closest chair. 

‘Fuck.’ He presses the heels of his hands to his eyes. ‘I’m so sorry, Kar.’ 

She pulls another chair close, sits down close to him, bites her own lip in an effort to quell her surging emotions. ‘What happened, Danny?’ 

She lets the question linger, remembering how Dr. Walker had told her not to push too hard, that there would still be things Danny might not be ready to tell her. There’s only silence for a while, Danny’s breathing finally evening out again and Kara just rests a hand on his forearm, a reminder she’s there. 

‘I- the night that Carlton-‘, he starts, then stops again, and she slides her hand down to take his, giving it a squeeze. He doesn’t look at her, but he holds on to her hand for dear life. ‘The night before the invasion, when Carlton was- I shot the hostile who shot Carlton.’ 

She knows, it was in his report, painstakingly detailed as always. 

‘Kara-‘ His voice breaks and he hangs his head and he exhales, slowly, body bracing against what he knows he’s about to say. ‘It was just a boy, couldn’t have been older than 8. I didn’t see, I just reacted to Carlton being injured. But it was just a boy. _Fuck_.’ 

Kara swallows against the lump in her throat, her heart breaking for her husband. ‘I’m so sorry, Danny.’ 

It’s inadequate but words elude her, her eyes swimming with tears. 

‘Yeah, me too.’ 

They settle into silence for a while, their hands still clasped together. Danny eventually straightens in his seat. 

‘When Wolf- when the darts hit Frankie’s chest-‘

‘You flashed back.’, she helps when he struggles to say the words and he nods in confirmation. 

‘You scared me, Danny.’ She doesn’t want to make this worse for him, but she also knows she can’t keep her own feelings inside the way she did before. 

‘I know, and I’m sorry.’ He brings their hands up to his mouth, presses a kiss to hers. ‘The triggers, I don’t always see them coming.’ 

It’s then that there’s a small knock against the door jamb and Azima pokes her head into the kitchen. ‘Everything okay?’ 

Danny rises, fills a glass from the cabinet at the sink and takes a few gulps, and it’s Kara who answers. 

‘No. But it will be.’ 

The words soothe his frayed nerves in a way few things have managed in the past and he forces a small smile. 

‘Are you okay, daddy?’ 

His voice is small and unsure as Frankie cautiously peeks around Azima. He motions for his son to come closer and he does, if slowly. Danny kneels down to him, taking his hand. 

‘You know how I told you that sometimes I get reminded of the monster and I get scared?’ 

Frankie nods fervently. 

‘Well, I got scared there for a minute but I’m feeling better now.’ 

His son still seems unsure for a moment and Danny decides to break the tension. 

‘Did you have fun playing with Wolf?’

Frankie immediately lights up. ‘Uncle Wolf is the best!’ 

‘Oh yeah? Why don’t you go find him?’ 

Frankie throws his arms around Danny’s neck for a moment before taking off in the other direction, almost tripping over his feet with the excitement. 

There’s a squeal from down the hall and a moment later, Wolf rounds the corner into the kitchen, Frankie under his arm. His eyes immediately find Danny’s, the silent communication still coming easily, and Danny nods to him from where he’s resting against the counter. 

‘Alright, little guy.’ Wolf sets Frankie down on his feet, the boy still giggling. Wolf rolls his shoulder and he hums softly when Azima digs her thumb into the muscle a moment later. They are so in tune with each other and Danny envies it, how easily they anticipate each other’s needs. 

'Maybe overdone it a bit, big guy?', Azima teases good-naturedly and Wolf looks like he's about to protest but he just leans back into the touch. Danny catches Kara watching the two as well before sneaking a look at him. This used to be them, they can both admit it. He sends her a small smile, and she reciprocates. Danny wants to fix this for them so badly it hurts but he still isn't quite sure how, especially now, with his head still pounding.

‘We’re gonna take off in a few, you need anything before we go?’ 

Azima motions for Kara to follow her and she does. Azima leads them to the living room, picking up the pillow scattered on the floor from the boys’ nerf gun war. ‘Are you okay, Kara?’ 

Kara releases a deep breath. ‘Not really, but we’re working on it. It’s just hard sometimes, not knowing what might trigger something.’ Azima nods, righting the chairs at the table, folding the discarded wrapping paper.

‘He’s trying though, right?’ 

Kara nods. ‘And he’s doing much better. Frankie, he’s so excited to see Danny again. Sometimes, I just wish it was easier. For all of us.’ 

‘If anyone’s getting through this, it’s you two.’ Azima moves in for a hug and Kara holds on for dear life for a moment.

‘You ready to go, Zima?’ Wolf appears in the doorway and Azima moves away, holding Kara by her shoulders. ‘You’ll be okay, Kara, I know it.’

Wolf holds his hand out to Azima who takes it without hesitation, letting herself be pulled to his side. ‘Sorry for the mess, Kara.’ She waves him off. ‘Danny’s waiting for you in the kitchen.’

Wolf and Azima go to get their coats while Kara goes to rejoin her family in the kitchen. Danny’s still leaning against the counter, looking exhausted, Frankie clinging to his leg, looking up at him hopefully. 

‘Frankie, why don’t you go say goodbye?’, she suggests, and he zips off, and Danny seems to deflate even more.

‘I should get going, too.‘ 

Kara just looks at him for a moment. ‘Are you ok to drive?’

Danny rubs his neck with a sigh. 

‘Probably not, but Taylor offered to drop me back at base.’ 

Kara seems relieved. ‘I'll pick you up tomorrow for the party if you're up for it.‘ 

‘You sure?‘ Kara sidesteps Frankie coming running back into the kitchen.

‘I’m on base tomorrow anyway. Just get some rest tonight?’ 

Danny nods and is about to follow Wolf and Azima outside, when Kara's fingers curl around his wrist. He turns back to her and she steps closer, into his space, bringing her hands up to cup his face. 

‘I love you, Danny. Scars and all. I need you to know that.’ 

He's at a loss for words at the unexpected admission and Kara uses his silence to lean closer for a slow kiss and Danny forgets to breathe for a second. He can't even remember the last time, it's been so long, and he missed this, Kara in his arms, her lips on his. He holds on a moment longer, drawing out the kiss, until Kara gently pulls away, her hand on his chest. ‘I'll see you tomorrow.’ 

He wants to say he loves her, too, but the words aren't forming, his brain still hung up on her kiss. ‘Yeah, tomorrow.’ 

He knows he’s supposed to go now, Wolf and Azima are waiting for him outside, but he ends up just looking at his wife for a moment until she finally pulls away with a soft sigh. She looks like she’s about to say something but when the car horn sounds from outside, she motions for him to get going. 

He turns back once, twice, on his way out of the kitchen, not able to keep his eyes away. Kara’s biting her lip, barely suppressing a smile and when she catches him looking, she laughs. ‘Go!’

+

His endorphin rush only lasts him back to base, the exhaustion setting in when he says goodbye to Wolf and Azima, his headache back with a vengeance. It’s only the late afternoon but he draws the blinds in his room and collapses onto his bed, anything to escape the pounding in his head and the heaviness of his body. He manages to drift off but it’s only short-lived. With three roommates coming and going in half hour increments, not even putting the pillow over his head is doing anything to get some peace and quiet. His revenge is being up all night, tossing and turning, pacing the room and the halls until, finally, his alarm sounds at 0600. 

He spends the morning doing inventory in the MWU armory, something that doesn’t require interaction with other humans and that affords him some quiet. He tries calling Kara but she doesn’t answer. He leaves a message for her to call him back, but instead she shows up at the armory in the late morning. 

She looks good in her uniform, hair back in a bun. It reminds him of old times, of sneaking around on the James and stealing kisses in supply closets. He knows he looks like hell, though, so he tries for a smile when she knocks on the doorjamb. He buzzes her in and she pushes the gate closed behind her. 

‘You called?’ 

He jots down a number on a piece of paper to not lose his count. 

‘Yeah. About the party today- look, I don’t want to flake on you, that’s not what this is- but I didn’t get any sleep last night and I feel like shit and I- I don’t want a repeat of yesterday. Not for the kids and not for you or me.’

It’s another missed birthday party on his part and that is not the direction he wants to go in but he knows it’s the right decision, a decision he wouldn’t have made a few months ago.

She rests against the table, close to him but not quite touching. ‘Okay.’

He leans back in his chair, looking up at her. ‘Okay?’ 

She gives him a smile. ‘Yes, okay. Thank you for being honest. I know you wanted to be there for Frankie.’ 

‘Is he doing okay?’ 

‘Yeah, he was more bothered by Wolf leaving early, to be honest.’ 

Danny huffs a laugh. ‘Of course he was.’ 

Silence settles between them and Danny just enjoys having his wife there, her presence easing his spinning mind. Beside him, Kara shifts closer, her hand coming up to run through his hair, tugging on a strand. ‘You need a haircut, Lieutenant. Really starting to skirt regulation here.’ 

There’s no authority in her voice as she trails her finger down his face. ‘And a shave.’ 

He catches her hand in his, presses a kiss to her palm. ‘Yes, ma’am, I’ll put it on my to-do list.’ 

Kara hmms in response, not buying it for a second. She straightens as her gaze lands on the clock on the wall. ‘I should get going.’ 

He still doesn’t let go of her hand, her palm warm against his. ‘Tell Frankie I love him?’ 

‘Of course. Maybe we can have a movie night when you feel better?’ 

He smiles at her, a real smile, and it sends a blush up her neck and onto her cheeks. ‘I’d like that.’ 

Someone clears their throat in front of the armory gate and Kara pulls her hand from Danny’s. They might be married but they are at work and she knows there’s a certain level of professionalism expected. 

‘Commander Green. Lieutenant.’

‘Diaz.’

Ray grins at them but doesn’t comment, just handing over his weapon to Danny through the service hatch. 

‘Carry on, Lieutenant. Ensign Diaz.’ 

Diaz instinctively straightens at Kara’s tone and Danny can barely suppress a grin. 

‘Aye Commander.’

+

Danny brings his hand up to knock on the office door. Once. Twice. Another three times when there is no immediate answer.

When the door finally opens, Dr. Walker is looking up at him somewhat exasperatedly with one hand on the handle and the other holding a sandwich. ‘Danny?’ 

He smiles at her sheepishly. ‘I’m sorry, I know it’s your lunch break, but if you have a minute?’

She narrows her eyes at him and for a moment, he thinks she’s going to tell him to go.

Instead, she holds the door open for him and steps aside. ‘Come in. I hope you don’t mind if I finish this?’ 

He sinks down on the now familiar spot on the couch, waiting for the Dr. Walker to finish her lunch.

‘What brings you here today, Danny? You look tired.’

He runs his hand over his face as if it would change anything.

‘It’s my son’s birthday party today.’

Dr. Walker studies him for a moment, until he starts to squirm under the scrutiny.

‘And why are you here instead of with your family?’

Danny takes a breath. He can still feel the flashback so acutely, like an itch that won’t go away.

‘It was his birthday yesterday and something happened and I- I had a flashback. It was pretty bad. I didn’t get any sleep last night and I’m still- there’s still this haze? So I talked to Kara and told her that it was probably better for me not to come today, given where my head’s at right now.’ 

Dr. Walker reaches for her notepad – _he hates this thing so much_ – and starts scribbling. ‘And what did Kara say?’

‘That it’s okay. But it’s not. I don’t want to keep missing things.’

‘Then why don’t you go to your son’s birthday party?’

Danny sinks back into the cushions with an exasperated sigh.

‘Because I don’t want to spoil this day for him by showing up like this. And I need to take care of myself, too.’

Dr. Walker smiles at him, full-out smiles, and puts her notepad down.

‘Good.’

Danny raises an eyebrow at her, shifting forward in his seat. ‘Good?’

‘Danny, I know you hate missing out on today. But you are taking care of yourself, prioritizing your mental health. And you are talking to Kara about it, you are vocalizing your needs and she is listening and supporting you. So yes, it’s good. It’s the kind of progress you need, even if it means you will miss out on your son’s birthday party.’

He mulls over her words before relaxing back with a sigh.

‘I take it things with Kara and Frankie are going okay overall?’ 

He nods with a small smile.

‘Frankie seems okay with being around me. Even with the flashback yesterday, it seemed to be okay after. And Kara, she’s been really great. We’re communicating a lot better. Having her there yesterday helped a lot.’

‘I’m happy for you, Danny. Did you think this would be possible when you first came to see me?’

‘No.’ He doesn’t even have to think about it. He hadn’t even dreamed about getting to this situation when he had first come here and hadn’t said a word.

‘And yet, here you are. Don’t see today as failure, Danny. You are doing what you are supposed to do, and you are doing it well. Be proud of that.’ 

Her eyes flicker to the clock above his head. ‘Now, I hate to kick you out-‘ 

He rises to his feet. ‘Of course, sorry for high-jacking your lunch break.’ 

She waves him off with a smile. ‘Just make an appointment next time.’ 

‘Sure thing, doc.’

The sun is still too bright when he steps outside but he feels lighter than he has in some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know things were looking up last chapter and I'm sorry, but we still have to break Danny a little bit sometimes.


	10. Chapter 10

‘What are we watching?’ 

Danny carries a bowl of popcorn into the living room where Frankie is bouncing on the couch.

‘Cars!’ 

He shoots a glance to Kara who just shrugs. ‘We’re watching Cars.’ 

‘Alright, then.’ 

Danny motions for Frankie to move over and he does, pressing up against Kara’s side, making just enough room for Danny to sit down. It’s ridiculous, half the couch is still empty and they’re all squished together on the other half but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He passes the popcorn bowl to his son while Kara presses play on the remote.

+

When Danny comes to again, it’s dark. There’s a weight pressed against his side and it takes a moment for the world to come back into focus. He’s at Kara’s, on the couch, Frankie asleep against his side.

‘Hey there.’ Kara’s voice comes from other end of the couch where she’s sitting, knees to her chest, watching him. 

‘Sor-‘, he clears his throat when his voice comes out too rough. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to- why didn’t you wake me?’ 

‘You were finally getting some sleep.’ He huffs softly; he knows she means well but he doesn’t want to overstay his welcome, not when he finally gets to see them again on a regular basis. 

‘What time is it?’ 

‘Around 2330 I guess.’ 

He shifts but immediately stops when Frankie stirs against him. 

‘I should probably-,‘ He motions to the front door with his hand. 

‘You don’t have to go, Danny.’ 

‘Kar-‘ 

‘I mean it, Danny. Stay. Please?’ 

He nods, running a hand through Frankie’s soft hair. 

‘We should probably get him settled.’ 

‘Go ahead, dad.’ 

Danny pushes to his feet, Frankie still against his chest. It’s easy to navigate the house in the dark, like muscle memory, and he gently puts his son down in his bed, tucking him in. Frankie huffs softly in his sleep but doesn’t wake and Danny just leans in the door and watches his son sleep for a minute. A few months ago, this seemed unthinkable to him, being back in this house with his family, his son falling asleep on top of him. He turns when Kara runs a hand down his back. ‘Still asleep?’ 

‘Yeah, he’s out like a light.’ 

Kara’s hand is playing with the hem of his shirt, out of habit, Danny is sure. He pulls her closer to him, places a kiss on her forehead. She looks up at him, all soft edges, and Danny’s suddenly nervous. It’s silly, he knows, they are just going to sleep in the same room, this shouldn’t be that big of a deal but it feels like it is. ‘You okay, Danny?’ 

‘Yeah.’ She rises on her toes, leans in for a kiss, soft, brief, and Danny is just blinking at her when she pulls away.

He lets her lead him to the bedroom and the room is so familiar and at the same time it’s not. Kara turns on the small lamp on the bedside table and Danny blinks against the sudden brightness.  
‘Kara-‘ 

Kara sits on the end of the bed. ‘You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.’ 

‘I want to. I just don’t- I’m still not a good sleeper.’ 

She holds out her hand to him and he takes it without hesitation, lets her pull him closer. 

‘Come to bed, Danny.’

His heart skips a beat, but he eventually nods, not trusting his brain to form anything coherent right now. He can’t remember how long he has been waiting for this, being here, in this house, with his family, for Kara to be okay with that. 

He peeks only a little when she strips out of her clothes to put on a ratty old navy shirt, the hem already fraying.

Danny just takes off his sweats, opting to keep the shirt on, and he can’t help a soft sigh when he finally gets into bed, his body melting into the mattress, the comfort level in such a stark contrast to the bunks in the barracks. ‘Oh my God, this is heaven.’ 

Kara grins at him from the other side of the bed. ‘Good night.’ 

She turns off the light and settles under the sheets. It’s dark in the room and Danny is so aware of everything, Kara’s presence next to him, the sound of her breathing, the oh-so-comfortable mattress, the fact that he is here, it makes his mind spin. Kara’s breathing evens out not long after and Danny’s not sure how long it takes but he finally drifts off as well.

+

‘Danny! It’s okay- you’re okay!’ 

Kara’s voice breaks through the haze in his brain and he sits up in bed with a start. It takes a moment for his brain to catch up with his body, to realize where he is and what has happened.  
Kara turns on the bedside lamp and the light feels blinding and he shields his eyes. His shirt is soaked with sweat, clinging to his back and he swings his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting all the way up. He digs the heels of his hands into his eyes, although he knows it won’t make the images go away. The sheets rustle behind him and a hand comes to rest between his shoulder blades. His back tenses involuntarily at the touch and the hand disappears. ‘Danny-‘ 

‘I’m sorry, just give me a minute.’ 

He pulls his shirt over his head, drops it on the floor. His skin is burning, or so it feels, and his eyes are stinging, and his head is pounding and it’s too much. It takes more effort than he cares to admit to try to relax his muscles and reach back. Kara’s hand finds his immediately and she goes easily when he gives a tug. She is so close, her body warm and strong against his back, her arm going around his middle. Her hand comes to rest on his chest and his heart is still racing underneath her palm. Her chin rests on his shoulder as her other hand runs through his hair. ‘I got you, Danny. You’re okay.’ 

His body shakes against hers with every exhale and he lets her hold on until it doesn’t anymore. 

+

Danny wakes up feeling tired, but not overly so. The buzz in his head is pleasantly dulled and Kara’s weight against his side is comforting, her hand on his chest a gentle reminder of her presence. It’s still early, the sun not quite up yet, and it’s peaceful, easy.

‘Hey.’

Her voice is still sleepy, the puff of air from her exhale ghosting over his skin, raising goosebumps. He softly runs his fingers through her hair, playing with a stray strand, and it feels so familiar, like before, and it makes him want to lean down and kiss her so much it hurts.

‘Hey yourself.’

Kara shifts against him, putting more weight on him and resting her chin against his chest. ‘You’re still here.’

He tucks her hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing her cheekbone. ‘Yeah.’

She just looks at him, her fingers drawing lazy circles on his chest, tracing scars, old and new.

‘I missed you.’

The admission is quiet and it should make him feel good and it does, but it also makes guilt bubble up hot inside him.

‘I’m sor-‘

Kara shushes him with her fingers on his lips. He falls silent, just keeping the eye contact. There was a time when he could tell what Kara was thinking just from looking at her, but not now. Somewhere along the line, a part of her had closed off to him, just as a part of him had to her.

She moves her hand up into his hair, softly tugging the lengthening strands, as she moves closer, straddling his thighs. His hands automatically reach for her, it’s been so long, too long, and he only has so much self-control. Kara doesn’t seem to mind, though, doesn’t move away from his hands coming to rest at the back of her thighs and God, Danny swears something short-circuits in his brain when Kara finally leans forward and brings her lips to his.

They kiss, slowly, languidly, reconnecting, relearning, and Danny can’t help but groan into the kiss, Kara smiling against his lips in response. She nips at his bottom lip, mouths along his jaw, her hand sneaking down his chest to his abs. The muscles quiver beneath her touch, Danny’s breath hitches, and she can feel him hard against her thigh. 

Her fingertips slip just beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs as she leans up for another kiss, this one more heated, urgent. Danny reluctantly removes one of his hand from Kara’s thigh, his fingers closing around her wrist as he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against Kara’s. They just stay like that for moment, breath mingling between them. He swallows against the dryness in his throat, his hand flexing on Kara’s thigh.

‘You touch me, this is over before it starts,’ he rasps and Kara leans down to suck the spot right beneath his ear. 

‘Been a while?’, she teases and he shudders beneath her. She sits back on his thighs, pulls her shirt over her head. Danny sinks back into the pillow with a groan. ‘Jeez, you’re killing me here, Kar.’ 

Her hands splay over his abs again, sliding up to his chest. ‘Touch me, Danny.’ 

It’s all the permission he needs. He reverses their positions with ease, his hands at her side. He goes in for another kiss and Kara’s hands are everywhere, his hair, his shoulders, his back, her head falling back on a breathless sigh when he shifts lower, moving from her mouth to her neck and to her breasts, drawing a nipple into his mouth, thumb brushing the other. ‘So beautiful.’ 

The words ghost over the skin of her stomach and despite the years, they still manage to chase a blush up her neck. He runs his tongue down her body, peppering it with kisses as he goes, the smooth plane of her stomach, the faded stretch marks at her sides. 

He dips his head lower, warm breath ghosting over her already damp panties and she shivers against him. He presses his lips against her and she bucks, just once, and she swears she can him feel him grin against her. He hooks his fingers into the fabric at her sides, her hips lifting easily to help him slide it off. 

‘Danny.’ 

It’s breathy and pleading and it sends a spark of desire up his spine. He places a kiss on her inner thigh, up high enough to be teasing but not enough to give Kara what she wants. Her hand burrows in his hair and gives a tug and Danny chuckles against her, pressing his teeth to her skin just hard enough to make her moan into the pillow, her head thrown to the side. 

He drags his thumb through her damp folds and she arches against the touch. He brings his arm down over her hips and she mewls in protest, tugs on his hair again. 

‘Danny, I swear-‘ 

The threat dies on her lips when Danny finally gives in and touches his tongue to her clit, circling it, while he dips a finger into her. She arches against him, pressing closer, a flush creeping up her chest.  
His stubble is rasping against her inner thighs and Kara’s sure she’s seeing stars when Danny presses against her, lips closing around her clit, sucking with just the right pressure, while crooking a second finger into her. 

He lifts his arm, lets her move against him as she pleases until she’s tensing, pulsing around his fingers, his scalp stinging from her grip on his hair. His thumb is running lazy circles on her thigh, gentling her through her high, and Kara releases her grip on him, a shiver wrecking her body when Danny slowly eases his fingers from her. 

‘Fuck, Kar.’ His voice is wrecked and he’s pretty sure his body is on fire with arousal and when Kara leans up to meet him halfway for a slow, lazy kiss, Danny almost loses it. He pulls away, stands and Kara knee-walks to the edge of the bed, hooking a finger into the band of his boxer briefs. 

‘Those’ll need to come off.’ 

He blinks at her for a moment and she pulls at the fabric. Danny groans softly when her hand brushes his cock and eventually focuses enough to step out his underwear. He kneels on the edge of the bed and Kara shifts backwards, letting him cover her body with his. ‘Kar-‘ 

He makes a strangled noise when Kara closes her hand around his cock, pumping slowly up and down, using his lack of focus to get Danny onto his back again in one smooth motion. He blinks up at her and she grins at him, straddling his lap. She rocks against him and Danny’s not sure he remembers how to breathe. 

His hands are at Kara’s waist, holding on for dear life, thumb brushing below her breast. Kara shifts up onto her knees, her eyes meeting his, and time stops for a second when she sinks down on him, taking him in slowly and Danny almost bites through his lip with how good it feels. 

She rocks against him, grinding down with every move of her hips, her hands bracing on his chest, nails digging in just enough to leave a mark. 

He’s not going to last, he knows, and when Kara moves her hips quicker, he brings his finger between them, running tight circles over her clit and she jerks against him, hips falling out of rhythm, pulsing around him. 

It’s enough to send him over the edge with a low groan and he thrusts up once, twice more into Kara, pulling her to him, burying his face in her shoulder as he comes. 

For a minute, they just lie together, chests heaving, Danny tangling his fingers in her hair as he softly kisses her neck. ‘Fuck, I missed you, too.’ 

Kara shifts against him and it sends another spark up his spine. She’s slowly pulling away, sliding off his lap and all Danny wants to do is pull her back but it’s the next best thing when she settles against his side, her hand coming up to cup his cheek. She leans up for a kiss, unhurried, languid, and he melts into it. Kara looks at him when she pulls away, eyes clear and honest. 

‘I think it’s time for you to come home.’


	11. Epilogue

‘Thanks for coming with me.’ 

Danny squeezes Kara’s hand and she smiles up at him, softly, as they walk up to LCDR Carter’s house for the annual end-of-summer barbecue. She knows Danny still isn’t too keen on crowds, the number of possible triggers seemingly endless. The back gate is open and there’s voices and laughter and children screaming and Frankie looks up at his father expectantly, already itching to join the other kids. 

‘Can I go, dad?’ 

‘Sure bud, go ahead.’ 

Frankie speeds off through the open gate into the big backyard and Danny and Kara follow, if at a much more relaxed pace. 

‘Green, good to see you made it,’ Carter greets them, waving his tongs. He’s manning the barbecue, complete with apron and chef’s hat. ‘Thanks for the invite, Sir. You’ve met my wife Kara?’ 

‘Yeah, I’ve seen her around base. Nice to see you again.’ 

Kara flashes him a bright smile. ‘Likewise. You have a beautiful home.’ 

‘It’s all my wife, Kate. Without her, this place would be a dump.’ 

And yeah, Danny can empathize. If anyone left interior decorating up to him, they probably wouldn’t even have enough furniture for them all to sit on. ‘Why don’t you help yourselves to something to drink, mingle, enjoy the evening. I’ll yell when the steaks are ready.’ 

With that, Carter refocuses on the task at hand and Danny and Kara join the others in the backyard, greeting familiar faces as they go. 

‘I’m gonna get something to drink, you want anything?’, Kara asks just as Danny greets Diaz. 

‘Thanks babe, just water for now.’ 

She makes for the makeshift bar close the house and Danny turns back to the other men. ‘How is training going Diaz? You ready to join Delta team yet?’ 

Diaz snorts. ‘I wish. Kathleen’s going to be ready to join before I am. If you have the time, I’d really appreciate it to get some input from you, Sir.’ 

‘Sure, you got it. If everything goes well, I’ll be back to training some of you soon.’ 

He can feel someone hovering behind him, he’s acutely aware of it, but he just takes a deep breath, willing his body to relax. 

‘Yo, Milbury, you made it.’ 

Danny turns a bit at Diaz’s words. 

Ensign Milbury seems uneasy, eyes darting between Diaz and Danny. 

‘Lt. Green.’ Milbury greets him but then takes a step into the other direction. 

Danny reaches out, curling his hand around the soldier’s arm. ‘Milbury. A word?’ 

They step away, Milbury still uneasy. ‘Sir?’ 

‘I wanted to apologize to you, Milbury. I had no business being in that training session with you. It was not your fault; I take full responsibility for what happened. You are going to be a good operator, trust your instincts.’ Milbury nods, clearly not expecting this. ‘I- thank you, Sir.’ 

Kara reappears at his side, handing him a bottle of water, and Milbury nods to him before rejoining his teammates. 

‘You doing okay?’ His arm goes around her shoulder, pulling her against his side. ‘Yeah, even better now.’ 

He drops a kiss on her head and she leans into him. 

‘Well, well, if it isn’t my favorite Green.’ 

Danny feigns exasperation at Wolf’s words but he can’t hide a smile. Wolf moves in to hug Kara instead though and Danny huffs. 

‘Hurtful, Taylor. I saved your ass way more times than she ever did.’

Wolf shrugs with a grin. ‘She’s prettier than you. A lot.’ 

‘You let him get away with that, Kandie?’ 

Beside them Azima is watching the exchange with humor sparkling in her eyes. ‘He’s right. But if it’s any consolation, you are prettier than him.’

Wolf looks like he’s about to protest when Azima draws Danny into a hug. 

‘Glad to see you’re better.’ The sentiment is quiet enough for only him to hear and he holds on to her a second longer than strictly necessary. 

‘You can let her go now Green, you already have a wife.’ 

He releases Azima, eyes sparkling. ‘Oh yeah? You wanna-?’ 

Kara breathes a sigh of relief when they are interrupted by a loud clang, followed by Carter’s voice.

‘Can I have everyone’s attention for a moment?’ 

‘To be continued.’, Wolf mouths at him and Danny grins. 

Azima sidles up to Kara. 

‘Like an old married couple, those two.’, she mutters underneath her breath and Kara laughs before falling quiet with the rest of the guests.

‘Thanks for coming. It’s important for us to recognize our soldiers, the one’s we’ve lost and the one’s who have found their way back to us, even if it’s just at an occasion like today. Here’s to all of them.’ 

Bottles are raised, a general murmur of ‘hear, hear’ in the air. 

‘I appreciate y’all coming today, especially since it gives me a chance to show off my skills at the grill.’ 

He stops when his wife lays her hand on his arm. 

‘Wrap it up, babe, people want to eat.’ 

Carter laughs. ‘Alright, y’all heard the boss, eat a lot, have a great time. Steaks are ready.’

Kara goes to find Frankie and Wolf saves them seats at one of the makeshift tables scattered throughout the backyard. They eat and drink, the kids running off again to play as soon as they’re finished. Everyone scatters in the backyard soon after, catching up with familiar faces and meeting new ones. The younger soldiers bid their goodbye a little after 2100, leaving mostly senior officers, the atmosphere quieting some. 

‘Beer?’ Danny looks up from his lounge chair at the fire pit and accepts the bottle Wolf is holding out to him with a nod of thanks as Wolf sinks down into the empty chair beside him. 

‘How’s the family?’ Danny can’t help a grin, his eyes fixed on his wife sitting across from him, her skin glowing in the flickering light of the fire. ‘Better. I moved back home last month.’

Wolf gives a laugh. ‘I figured what with the dopey grin, the PDA and all.’ Danny lightly punches Wolf’s arm for the comment. ‘Real talk, Green, how are you doing?’

‘Okay. Some days are better than others. The only way out is through though, right?’

‘That is true my friend.’ They clink bottles and both settle for watching the women sitting across from them. 

‘I’m going to ask her to marry me,’ Wolf announces out of nowhere and Danny almost chokes on his beer. ‘Wha- really? You think she’s gonna say yes? If I had to put money on it, I’d have bet on her proposing to you.’

Wolf pulls him into a mock headlock, his voice low in Danny’s ear. ‘Don’t even joke about that.’

Danny pulls away with a laugh. ‘Honestly, that’s great, man. You deserve to be happy.’ 

Wolf grins. ‘Yeah, I think it’s about time we both got something good in our lives.’ 

They settle into comfortable silence, both men content to just watch the two women across from them.

Danny suddenly snaps to attention, his body tensing, when there’s a sharp whistle slicing through the air. It’s only when he sees a dog barreling through the backyard that the noise makes sense and he relaxes. The whistle sounds again but the dog doesn’t stop until he’s at Danny’s feet. 

Danny grins, he can’t help it. Admittedly, he hadn’t even though about Halsey living with Carter when he came here today. Halsey looks up at him expectantly and yips, just once. Danny drops down to one knee and Halsey pushes closer, burying his nose in Danny’s chest. ‘You’re such a good boy, yes you are.’ 

He scratches between the dog’s ears and something inside of him clicks back into place. 

Kara watches with a smile as Danny leans closer to Halsey, talking to the dog in a voice so low she can’t hear what’s being said. Danny looks up when Carter joins them, shaking his head in disbelief. 

‘That dog has not disobeyed a single command or whistle in 3 years.’ 

Halsey whines, pushing his head into Danny’s hand again and doesn’t stop until Danny starts scratching him again. 

‘Sir?’ 

‘That dog loves you.’ 

‘We’ve been through a lot together, Sir.’ Danny clicks his tongue and Halsey sits at his feet. 

‘He’s getting older but he’s still sharp. If you’re feeling up to it, Lieutenant, maybe he should spend the rest of his days with you?’ 

Halsey barks at his feet and Danny wants to agree immediately but his eyes flicker to Kara instead. 

‘Provided your wife agrees?’, Carter adds with a smile at seeing Danny’s reaction. Kara can’t help a laugh when both her husband and the dog hit her with the puppy eyes. 

‘I guess we have a dog now.’ 

Carter claps a hand down on his shoulder as Danny rises to his feet. ‘Good. He’ll be happier with you and my wife will be happier with me. We’ll make arrangements tomorrow?’

‘Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.’ 

Danny’s grinning, pulling Kara to him, placing a kiss on her temple. 

‘Thank you.’, he murmurs into her hair and Halsey yips at her, eliciting laughter from everyone around.

*  
Then night starts to wind down shortly after, Wolf and Azima saying their goodbyes with a promise of dinner soon. Kara looks about ready to call it a night as well and Danny holds out his hand to her. 

‘Dance with me before we go?’ 

Kara nods with a smile, holding out her hand as well, just out of reach. ‘You’re gonna show me your moves?’ 

He takes her hand, twirls her once, then pulls her close. ‘Just the one.’ 

She leans up to steal a kiss as they sway under the rising night sky, relaxing into each other’s embrace. 

‘I love you, Kara. I probably have ever since you walked into that bar.’

Kara looks up at him, a soft smile on her lips.

‘That night we met; we were so different then. It feels like forever ago.’ 

Danny leans down for another kiss, soft, sweet, unhurried. 

‘Doesn’t matter, we still got forever to go.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me. This is by far the longest thing I have ever finished and I appreciate all the feedback, comments and kudos <3  
> Come find me on Twitter @amill22writes or on Tumblr @ amill22


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